The Way Of The Sword (18 page)

She thrust her
bō
at Jack with lightning speed, catching him directly in the stomach. Jack felt his insides turn over. She whipped her staff up, knocking him under the chin. He saw stars and almost blacked out. But Jack instinctively swung his
bokken
up, somehow managing to deflect what would have been her finishing blow to his neck.

He staggered backwards, continuing to fend off her attacks, but then her staff hit his sword hand, breaking his grip, and the
bokken
went skittering across the
dojo
floor.

Defenceless, Jack could only jump from side to side as she drove her staff at him. He went to slip past her, but was pinioned from behind by another student in line.

The
bō
girl grinned and drove forward to deliver her conquering strike.

At the last second, Jack stamped on the foot of his captor, twisting sideways so that the
bō
connected with the boy’s stomach instead. The boy yelled in surprise, relinquishing Jack from his grip.

In one fluid movement, Jack seized the boy’s
bokken
and brought it down hard on to the girl’s lead hand. Her
bō
clattered to the ground.

Jack shoulder-barged her out of the way and charged for the end of the Gauntlet.

He had made it!

He had run the Gauntlet.

He had managed to complete a trial.

Bruised and battered as he was, he proudly faced Sensei Hosokawa, who returned his gaze with a satisfied nod of the head. Jack could only hope that he had done enough to be selected for the Circle of Three. He bowed his respects to Sensei Hosokawa.

Strangely, there was no applause from the students. The anti-
gaijin
sentiment surely hadn’t gone so far in the school that they wouldn’t recognize his achievement. Jack was about to look up, when out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the sensei shift his body weight. Something whistled through the air.

The next thing Jack heard was, ‘How many times have I told you…’

‘...never let your guard down!’

The words rang in Jack’s head as painfully as the
bokken
that struck him across the back of his neck, knocking him senseless to the floor.

The Gauntlet didn’t finish at Sensei Hosokawa.

Sensei Hosokawa
was
the final trial.

Nursing a stiff neck, Jack now stood with the Circle of Three entrants in three lines at the centre of the
Butokuden
. They all looked like they’d been through a war, not one of them having escaped without injury.

While the rest of the school waited patiently in
seiza
around the edges of the
dojo
, Masamoto and Sensei Hosokawa, Yosa, Kyuzo and Yamada sat in a circle within the ceremonial alcove, quietly discussing the fate of the students.

Sensei Kano knelt to one side, his white
bō
leaning against a nearby pillar. As a visiting teacher to the
Niten Ichi Ryū
, he was not involved in the selection process, but Jack could tell the man was listening intently to the ongoing debate.

The selection process appeared to progress smoothly, until all of a sudden the discussion became heated and voices were raised.

‘I object!’ protested Sensei Kyuzo, slamming a rock-like fist on to the wooden floor. ‘He didn’t complete the trial.’

Every eye and ear in the
dojo
focused upon the quarrelling sensei and, despite Masamoto’s attempts to subdue the dispute, snatches of the argument were still clearly audible.

‘...your opinion is somewhat biased,’ accused Sensei Kyuzo of Masamoto, his annoyance getting the better of his discretion.

‘Can you honestly say you’re impartial?’ interjected Sensei Yosa.

‘That’s beside the point. The boy failed the trial. You cannot bend the rules for one individual!’

Masamoto held his hand up for calm. ‘Enough. If my vote is contentious, I withdraw it…’

The row nonetheless rumbled on, but in tense whispered exchanges so that the students were no longer able to overhear. Jack’s heart sank. Sensei Kyuzo had promised he would do everything in his power to stop him entering the Circle.

‘What is your opinion, Sensei Kano?’ Masamoto asked of the
bō
master a moment later. ‘We are in a stalemate situation and require your vote.’

The great man leant forward to give his opinion. A few moments later, the issue was apparently resolved as the teachers returned to a more amicable discussion, though Sensei Kyuzo still looked sour as vinegar.

• • *
    

Like a cannon shot, a single handclap resounded in the
Butokuden
and Masamoto announced, ‘The time has come!’

The entire school stiffened to attention as the selection panel turned to face the students, their expressions stony. Behind them, the school’s carved gilded phoenix
kamon
hung proudly above the sensei’s heads.

‘Young samurai! To all those who participated in the trials, we bow to you.’

With a single sweeping glance, Masamoto took in the three lines of students, the power of his gaze making it appear as if he had looked at each of them in turn.

‘We’ve carefully considered your performances today. The five students selected for entry to the Circle of Three are those who completed at least one trial and acted like a samurai in all by showing true
bushido
spirit,’ explained Masamoto. ‘When your name is called, step forward to receive our judgement.’

Jack let go of any remaining hope, biting back on the bitter disappointment he now felt. Having not completed a trial, he realized the Circle of Three would remain a distant dream, the Two Heavens technique a mystery to him for many more years to come.

‘Emi-chan,’ summoned Masamoto.

Emi limped out of line to take her place in front of the judging panel, the Gauntlet clearly having taken its toll upon her.

‘You performed well. You’re a fine
kyudoka
and although you were frightened by the Gauntlet we were most impressed with the way you regained your composure in the face of such danger. That took courage. However, your overall result was not quite good enough to warrant you entering the Circle. I’m sure your father would agree in this instance. Three to two against.’

Emi-chan bowed to the panel. As Jack watched her hobble over to the sidelines, it dawned on him just how challenging the Circle of Three must be, if even the daughter of the school’s benefactor was rejected.

A sense of disappointment descended over the school as the next six entrants also failed to make the grade. Jack, however, felt a little better knowing that the bar had been set so high.

‘Tadashi-kun,’ summoned Masamoto.

A strong boy with broad shoulders and dark half-moon eyebrows stepped forward. Jack recognized him as the boy who had first entered his name for the Circle.

Masamoto nodded once. ‘Formidable spirit throughout, especially in the
tamashiwari
. It was a shame you were knocked down towards the end of the Gauntlet, but no matter. Four to one in agreement. You are through to the Circle.’

The school gave a great cheer. At last one of the entrants was deemed good enough. Tadashi, a broad grin on his face, bowed his respects before taking up position in the middle of the
dojo
. The celebrations were short-lived, though, as the following seven contenders were all dismissed in quick succession.

Then Masamoto summoned Akiko.

She approached the panel and Jack crossed his fingers behind his back, silently wishing her luck.

‘What can I say? The only one to kill the candle with their first arrow,’ Masamoto said. Jack could see Sensei Yosa beaming at her protégé. ‘But you only made it halfway down the Gauntlet. You appeared somewhat distracted during the fight. We had really expected more from you.’

Akiko bit her lower lip, and Jack felt his own mouth go dry. Had his offhand comment about his visit to the castle with Emi put her concentration off?

‘Still, you have shown such
bushido
spirit and inner strength in all your other trials,’ continued Masamoto, ‘that it would be unjust for us to deny you this opportunity. Three to two in favour. Please join Tadashi.’

The
Butokuden
filled with applause again. Akiko remained where she was, astonished by the decision, and it took a few moments before she regained her composure, bowed and joined Tadashi.

The next ten competitors, including to Jack’s satisfaction Goro, added to the growing number of failed students gathering on the sidelines. Only one of them was passed: Harumi, the petite girl with the doll-like face who had amazingly succeeded in the Trial by Wood. Two places now remained.

Kazuki was summoned.

Jack watched as his rival stepped up, the gash on his cheek now even more swollen and his eye completely closed.

‘An outstanding performance in every aspect. All in favour. You are through to the Circle.’

Kazuki was the first entrant to be awarded a unanimous decision. He had triumphed in the eyes of all the sensei and, by the cheers that erupted from the hall, it was apparent that the school saw him as the favourite to conquer the Circle. Despite the hostility between them, Jack was forced to admit Kazuki had performed brilliantly and deserved his place.

This left only one place and three entrants: Yamato, Hiroto and himself. Jack, assured of his own failure, silently prayed Yamato would triumph over Hiroto.

‘Yamato-kun,’ called Masamoto.

Yamato stepped forward, clutching his side and breathing between his teeth in short pained gasps. He glanced apprehensively at his father.

‘I’m proud to say you fought like a true Masamoto in the Gauntlet, so this was a tough decision to make. However, without a clear victory in any of the trials, the committee voted three to two against. I’m sorry, but you are not one of the five.’

Yamato’s eyes widened in dismay. He looked as if he wanted the
dojo
floor to swallow him up. Jack couldn’t believe it. It must have been Yamato the sensei had been arguing over, not Jack. That was why Masamoto had deferred his vote to Sensei Kano. The decision must have been a great disappointment for the samurai.

Yamato hung his head and crossed the
dojo
to the sidelines, his frustration at his performance apparent in every weary step.

Masamoto then called out Jack’s name.

Jack readied himself for the inevitable.

‘Jack-kun, yours was a very controversial decision. I was of the mind that you had shown true
bushido
spirit throughout the trials and therefore proved your worth to enter the Circle of Three. Still, I had to be impartial in all decisions, especially as you are my adopted son, and you did not actually complete a single trial.’

Jack now knew for certain that Hiroto had beaten him. Now he just wanted to get the formality over with so he could join Yamato on the sidelines, but his guardian continued, ‘You didn’t finish the Gauntlet. Then again, no one has ever reached the end of the Gauntlet as you did. Sensei Hosokawa was most impressed with your performance. He passed you, despite your error at the last stage. But there were opposing opinions. We therefore agreed to defer the final decision to Sensei Kano.’

So it
hadn’t
been Yamato the sensei had argued over. It had been him all along. Jack felt the great grey eyes of the
bō
master upon him, and although he knew the man could not see, Jack knew the sensei was observing him with all his other senses.

‘I need not remind you that the Circle of Three is not only difficult but dangerous. It can even be fatal. Therefore we do not make such decisions lightly. On balance, while Sensei Kano feels you are worthy, this is only on his proviso that you undertake extra training sessions with him, in addition to any Circle preparation required.’

For a moment Jack was unsure that he had heard correctly. Did this mean he had gained entry to the Circle or not?

Then the students began clapping, though not with the enthusiasm afforded Kazuki and the other successful entrants. But Jack didn’t care. He was in the Circle and Hiroto wasn’t! Karma for the kick in the ribs, thought Jack as Hiroto slunk off to the sidelines, glaring at Jack all the way.

‘Now I want to remind all the entrants who didn’t succeed that simply by participating you’ve proved you have the courage to become a samurai warrior,’ reaffirmed Masamoto, and he personally acknowledged the group on the sidelines by bowing his head to indicate the sincerity of his respect.

Then he faced the five successful students in the centre of the hall: Tadashi, Akiko, Harumi, Kazuki and Jack.

‘For the five who journey onwards, I have this advice. In a fight between a strong body and a strong technique, technique will prevail. In a fight between a strong technique and a strong mind, mind will prevail because it will find the weak point in your opponent. While many of you are approaching this understanding, only one student has embraced the knowledge necessary to achieve this.’

Kazuki allowed himself a self-satisfied smile at the forthcoming praise which he believed was his due. But the smile twisted into a grimace of disbelief as Masamoto announced, ‘Yori, step forward. You will join them in the Circle.’

A gasp of astonishment arose from the school and everyone looked around for the little boy. A reluctant Yori was pushed forward by the students closest to him and he shuffled into the centre, as startled and helpless as a newborn lamb.

‘I still can’t believe he hit you while you were bowing, Jack,’ said Saburo the following day as they relaxed in the Southern Zen Garden between lessons. They had gathered on the wooden veranda overlooking the water feature and standing stones. The garden was now cloaked in so much snow that it looked like a miniature landscape of white clouds and snow-capped mountain peaks.

Jack gave Saburo a pained smile and massaged his neck where the
bokken
had struck.

‘Sensei Hosokawa
was
the final part of the Gauntlet,’ Akiko reminded them as she played
ohajiki
with Kiku, flicking one coin-shaped pebble across the ground at another, then claiming it as it was struck out of play. ‘Would you bow in the middle of a fight?’