Benkei gave him an exasperated look. 'How many fingers do you want to lose?'

'I won't leave without my belongings,' insisted Jack.

Realizing he wouldn't be swayed, Benkei resigned himself to the situation. 'I'll wait for you in the barn until sunrise ... then I'm going.'

'I understand,' replied Jack, grasping his shoulder in friendship. 'You've done more than enough helping me to escape.'

'And all that effort will be wasted if you get yourself caught again!' Benkei muttered, before disappearing down a backstreet.

Jack skirted the courtyard, keeping to the shadows and steering clear of the celebration. Entering the Zen garden, he noticed the outline of the bugy's dog on the veranda to the courtroom. The Akita lay with his muzzle between his paws, apparently asleep. Jack had the unsettling vision of his fingertip disappearing down the dog's throat and shuddered.

Using his ninja stealth-walking skills, Jack crossed the pebbled path. Step by cautious step, he drew closer to the veranda without making a sound. But, as he climbed up, the dog stirred. Jack froze, still as a statue. The dog snuffled and turned its head, before settling back down, the soft pant of sleep flaring its nostrils.

With great care, Jack continued and slid open the shoji to the bugy's courtroom. He let his eyes adjust to the dark. The pale moon shone in, giving Jack just enough light to see that the place was deserted. The door to the bugy's private office was on the opposite side of the room. Checking the dog was still asleep, he stepped inside. Jack crept round the edge, avoiding the centre of the wooden floor in case it creaked. As he reached out for the handle, he prayed that his belongings would still be there.

'You were never one to give up easily, were you, gaijin?'

Jack spun to see Sensei Kyuzo emerge from a hidden alcove beside the fusuma doors.

'Seven times down, eight times up!' mocked his teacher, recalling the proverb that had been Jack's winning mantra during the Taryu-Jiai match three years ago. 'Well, you won't be getting up this time.'

Sensei Kyuzo stalked towards him.

Jack held up his bandaged hand as a sign of peace. 'You're supposed to be my sensei, not my enemy. How could you have cut my fingertip off! Have you lost all respect for bushido?'

Sensei Kyuzo snorted. 'Think yourself lucky. I could have severed the whole finger!'

The taijutsu master glared at him, his expression one of bitterness and hate.

'Since the war ended, I've been on the run. Forced to hide for fear of reprisal. I've lost all status because of gaijin like you. And now I've no choice but to work as a lowly dshin.' He tugged at his uniform in disgust. 'I have to take orders from that potbellied bugy. A man not even of samurai class. He's a bureaucrat, little more than a pumped-up clerk who likes to think he's a warrior. He hasn't fought in a war, let alone held a sword in combat! Yet I must bow to him.'

'If you despise him so, then why arrest me?' argued Jack. 'Or is it that you wanted the ten koban reward?'

'I'm not interested in the money,' spat Sensei Kyuzo, offended to the core by such a suggestion. 'You're my guarantee to redeem my status. To become a respected samurai once more.'

Jack was aghast. His taijutsu master's vendetta was about personal loss of face. 'You claim to be a samurai, yet you violate the very code of bushido rectitude, honour and loyalty. By turning me in, you're betraying Masamoto-sama, my guardian and your friend.'

Sensei Kyuzo's face contorted as a battle of emotions played out fury, guilt, sorrow, loathing before they all hardened into pure anger. 'I owe him no allegiance. Not since he surrendered and went into exile. He should have committed seppuku. Died with honour.'

'Masamoto never surrendered!' shot back Jack. 'And if defeat is so shameful, then why didn't you commit seppuku?'

Sensei Kyuzo stopped in his tracks and fixed Jack with his beady eyes.

'Because I've an old score to settle first,' he revealed, cracking his knuckles.

15.

A Final Lesson Sensei Kyuzo dropped into a fighting stance and beckoned Jack to engage.

Even uninjured, Jack had been no match for the hand-to-hand combat skills of his taijutsu master. And with one limb incapacitated he was as good as dead.

So Jack reached for the kunai in his belt.

Sensei Kyuzo was unperturbed by the appearance of the weapon. 'At least it'll make the fight a bit more challenging,' he mocked.

They circled the woodblock floor, their bare feet scuffing across its polished surface. Sensei Kyuzo waited patiently for Jack to make his move.

'You can have first strike,' he promised, narrowing his eyes in anticipation.

Sensei Kyuzo's confidence in his own combat skills had turned to arrogance. Still, Jack knew this opening attack might be the only chance he'd get. He had to find a gap in his taijutsu master's defence before committing to any strike.

At first glance there was no obvious weakness, his sensei's stance being near perfect. Then Jack noticed the lead left hand was a little low. To a trained warrior, this was an open door inviting a full-on assault. On the other hand, when dealing with an opponent as cunning as Sensei Kyuzo, Jack knew such a defensive error could equally be a trap.

He decided to feign an attack at the supposed opening, then switch to a low thrust to the ribs.

As the kunai jabbed high, Sensei Kyuzo shifted his arm to block the attack. Tricked by the bluff, his left-hand side was now exposed and Jack changed the kunai's trajectory. But Sensei Kyuzo had been ready for it. His right fist shot across, the knuckles targeting the back of Jack's right wrist. They struck a nerve point, causing Jack's hand to spasm, and he lost grip on the kunai. The weapon flew across the room and clattered into the darkness.

Before Jack could retreat out of range, Sensei Kyuzo countered with disconcerting speed. His left fist targeted Jack's lower ribs. Jack buckled under the paralysing blow. A right hook caught his eye. Then a left uppercut to the jaw floored him. Seeing stars and his head ringing with pain, Jack writhed on the ground, an easy target. But his taijutsu master made no attempt to finish him off.

'Get up!' snarled Sensei Kyuzo, a malicious glint in his eyes.

As he recovered from the hammer-like blows, Jack realized the old man intended to extend and enjoy the fight. While he had no wish to give his teacher such pleasure, neither could he allow himself to be defeated so easily. Wiping blood from a split lower lip, Jack pulled himself to his feet.

'Have you not learnt anything I've taught you?' said Sensei Kyuzo in a disappointed tone. 'Not that I ever wanted to teach scum like you.'

With brutal force, he front-kicked Jack in the chest and sent him skidding across the floor. This time Sensei Kyuzo had hit Jack's solar plexus. Feeling as if his lungs had imploded, Jack found himself fighting for every snatch of breath. Sensei Kyuzo approached unhurried, relishing Jack's suffering. He flexed his fingers in readiness for the next barrage of blows.

Despite being half-crippled from the after-effects of the kick, Jack rose again. All the taijutsu lessons in which he'd been uke for Sensei Kyuzo were now paying off. Over time he'd built up a tolerance to the pain his teacher could inflict a resilience in the face of constant punishment. Jack also knew his opponent. He realized he could see the telltale signs of each technique and had been taught the counters to each of his teacher's attacks. But, more significantly, Jack had one big advantage that Sensei Kyuzo had no idea about: his ninjutsu training.

The ninja's hand-to-hand fighting style was specifically developed to counter the samurai arts. And one of those techniques was to feign weakness and defeat.

Half-bent over, he gave Sensei Kyuzo the target of his head. His taijutsu master went to roundhouse-kick him there, but Jack suddenly leapt into action. Avoiding his sensei's foot and stepping inside the arc of the kick, he trapped the leg with his left arm and drove an Extended Knuckle Fist strike at the mid-point of the inner thigh. Sensei Kyuzo grunted with pain as the unexpected attack hit a kyusho point. The nerve was struck with such force that it paralysed his teacher's entire leg.

Jack then brought his head up, using Demon Horn Fist to ram Sensei Kyuzo under the jaw. His taijutsu master staggered backwards. Jack heel-struck Sensei Kyuzo's left ankle and swept him off his feet. Sensei Kyuzo tried to correct his fall with his right leg, but the immobilized limb simply gave way beneath him. He crashed to the ground, his face contorted in shock, anger and pain at being beaten.

Jack didn't hesitate now. He rushed forward to finish him off. But Sensei Kyuzo lashed out with his still-mobile left foot. He targeted Jack's injured hand. Jack cried out as a searing stab of pain almost caused him to pass out. Sensei Kyuzo kicked him again, then rolled out of harm's way. By the time Jack was able to focus on something other than sheer agony, Sensei Kyuzo was standing and furiously massaging his leg back to life.

'This will be your final lesson, gaijin,' snarled Sensei Kyuzo, his near defeat having brought his cruel game to a swift end.

As his taijutsu master limped determinedly towards him, a deep-throated growl emanated from behind Jack. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of the Akita hunting dog at the open shoji. It leapt for his back. On instinct, Jack dived aside. He felt the dog's claws rake his neck as it flew past to collide with Sensei Kyuzo instead. As dog and teacher both tumbled to the ground, the Akita tore its teeth into Sensei Kyuzo's right shoulder. While the taijutsu master wrestled the ferocious beast in his arms, Jack scrambled away and headed for the bugy's office.

A crack, like a branch breaking, abruptly ended the snarls and gnashing of teeth. Sensei Kyuzo shoved the Akita to one side, its body slumping lifeless to the floor.

'I never did like that dog,' spat the sensei, inspecting his ravaged shoulder. Blood dripped down his arm, which now hung limp at his side.

'Your superior,' said Jack, emphasizing the bugy's status, 'won't be happy you killed his dog.'

Sensei Kyuzo glared at him. 'I'll simply blame it on you, gaijin.'

Jack ran for the door and his swords, but Sensei Kyuzo pounced on him in a miraculous leap. With his one good arm, he grabbed Jack and executed Yama Arashi. The Mountain Storm throw tossed Jack high in the air before bringing him smashing into the wooden floor. Sensei Kyuzo then dropped beside him and wrapped his legs round Jack's neck.

'This is Yoko Sankaku Jime,' explained Sensei Kyuzo, as if he was instructing Jack in a class. 'It's a triangular choke. The technique gets its power from the pressure exerted by the legs.'

Sensei Kyuzo began to squeeze. Jack spluttered as his airway was instantly cut off.

'The top leg also imparts direct force on your carotid artery, blocking the blood to your brain.'

Jack felt a horrendous pressure starting to build in his head.

'The second leg working in conjunction with the arms optimizes the choke.'

Jack felt as if he was gripped in a human vice.

'Within a matter of seconds, you'll pass out,' revealed Sensei Kyuzo with evident glee. 'But if I then keep the choke on ... brain damage is certain ... followed by death.'

The throbbing in Jack's head grew thunderous. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the dull sheen of an iron blade beside the office door. Jack desperately reached for the twine handle. Blackness was seeping into his vision. He had mere seconds to live.

His fingers clasped round the kunai.

As the curtain fell over his vision, he drove the iron tip into Sensei Kyuzo's right leg. His taijutsu master yelled in agony and the pressure was instantly released. Jack pulled away, taking the kunai with him. All sensation returned in a flood.

He then leapt on his wounded taijutsu master. His rage boiled over at the sensei who'd made his life hell at the Niten Ichi Ry the teacher who'd publicly humiliated and tortured him in front of the entire class. Now this man had arrested him and cut off his finger ... and had been determined to murder him.

'Go on, kill me!' goaded Sensei Kyuzo, blood pouring from the laceration in his leg.

Jack raised the kunai and brought it down hard. He struck his taijutsu master in the temple with the blunt end of the handle.

'No, I follow the code of bushido, unlike you,' said Jack as Sensei Kyuzo slumped unconscious on the floor. 'And I still respect my sensei.'

16.

Prayer Flags 'You look terrible!' exclaimed Benkei as Jack limped into the barn with a black eye, split lip, bruised jaw and swollen throat.

'You should see the loser,' rasped Jack.

'Well, I hope the damage was worth it.'

Jack nodded and patted his treasured swords.

'We should go,' said Benkei, grabbing their bag of supplies. 'As soon as the sun rises, they'll come after us. And I don't want to end up looking like you!'

Jack didn't argue. He shouldered his pack all the contents still there and followed Benkei out into the night.

They darted across the moonlit paddy fields to the cover of the trees. Heading west, they climbed the valley and up the steep slope of the double-headed volcano. Trees gave way to hardy bushes, then to a barren rocky landscape. Following animal tracks, they traversed the mountainside and reached the first peak just as dawn was breaking.

Like a newborn phoenix, the sun rose out of the glistening Seto Sea in the far distance. Its warming rays were a welcome sight for Jack and Benkei, who were cold and fatigued from the ascent. Hearing the flapping of a flock of birds, Jack looked up but couldn't spot any flying overhead. Then, as they crested a small ridge, he discovered the sound was made by hundreds of prayer flags fluttering in the wind. At their heart was a solitary shrine perched atop an outcrop of rock. Adorning its wooden eaves were streams of brightly coloured silk banners.

Jack and Benkei passed through a grey stone torii gateway and up steps hewn into the rock. They entered the shrine.

'I feel so drab compared to these flags,' remarked Benkei, dumping their supplies in a sheltered corner and disappearing behind the altar.

Exhausted, Jack sat down at the shrine's entrance and gazed at the rippling prayer flags. The constant flutter of silk was like an unending mantra to the gods, the yellow, green, red, white and blue hues forming an undulating rainbow against the cloudless sky. He recalled Yori once explaining the significance of these colours for a Buddhist monk. To his surprise, they'd corresponded to the Five Rings of the Ninja ...

Earth was yellow.

Water denoted by green.

Fire symbolized by red.

Wind represented by white.

Sky signified by blue.

These five great elements of the universe, which were the spiritual touchstone of Buddhist monks, also formed the basis of the ninja's philosophy to life and combat. Both groups channelled the energy and wisdom of the Five Rings: the monks for peace and the ninja for protection.

The most powerful of these was Sky.

His ninja Grandmaster had explained that this element was the source of mikky, their secret teachings of meditation, mind control and kuji-in magic. He'd demonstrated to Jack how to invoke the power of Sky to connect to the energy of the universe. When attuned to this element on a mission, a ninja was able to sense the surroundings and respond without thinking without even using any physical senses.

Master the Five Rings, the Grandmaster had told him. Learn to endure like the Earth, to flow like Water, to strike like Fire, to run like the Wind and be all-seeing like the Sky. Then you'll be a ninja.

But it wasn't a simple task to tap into the Ring of Sky. It took immense focus and concentration. Jack was quite adept at the healing aspect even helping to save Saburo's life on one occasion but that was just a small part of the secret teachings for Sky. With true mastery, a ninja could draw upon great strength in times of crisis, sense another person's thoughts, foretell of imminent danger and even control the elements of nature itself.

At first Jack had been sceptical of such claims. But, after witnessing the old Grandmaster lift a tree trunk above his head and another ninja, Zenjubo, invoke a mist during a mission, he quickly became a believer. But in his own kuji-in training he'd only once managed a true connection to the Ring of Sky and that had been luck. And Jack knew he needed more than luck if he was to survive the journey to come.

A sudden gust of wind whipped the flags into a flurry, their faded tatters galloping on the breeze.

Wind horses.

That was what Yori called the prayer flags. Upon the silk were potent symbols, inscriptions and mantras that the wind supposedly bore away into the world to ease mankind's suffering.

Just as a drop of water can permeate the ocean, Yori had explained, prayers released to the wind disperse and fill the sky.

As Jack sat within the mountain shrine, he sensed Yori's spirit close by. Silently reassuring him. Jack whispered a heartfelt prayer for Yori, his lost friends, Akiko and his distant sister hoping that his blessing would also be carried on the wind.

'That's much better,' announced Benkei, slumping down on the steps, having reversed his kimono back to its motley-coloured glory.