The Way Of The Sword (20 page)

‘What do you mean?’ said Jack. ‘It’s the safest place for it. Why are you acting as if I’ve killed someone?’

‘You haven’t yet, but you
have
put the
daimyo
Takatomi’s life in danger!’ she said, shaking her head in disbelief at Jack’s stupidity. ‘Dragon Eye will now break into the castle to get it.’

‘How can that possibly happen? Even if Dragon Eye did try, he’d be caught out by the Nightingale Floor and captured by the guards before he got anywhere near the
daimyo
,’ argued Jack. ‘Besides, how can the
daimyo
be in danger when only the three of us know the
rutter’
s location? Dragon Eye would never think of looking there, and we’re certainly not going to tell him.’

‘Shall I let you into a secret? I’m not really blind…’

Jack knew it. The
bō
master had been faking all the time. That would explain why he could guide his students into the mountains, trick Kazuki and wield the
bō
so skilfully. He simply fooled people into believing he was blind.

‘I just can’t see,’ finished Sensei Kano in his deep sonorous voice.

‘I don’t understand,’ said Jack and Yamato in unison, the icy winter air making their breath puff out in large clouds of mist.

They had returned to the gardens of the Eikan-Do Temple. The glorious reds and oranges of autumn were all gone now, replaced with bare skeletons of trees frosted in winter snow. The three of them sat on a stone bench next to a slender wooden footbridge. The wide stream passing beneath it was iced over, though further up the slope a small waterfall still trickled and ran beneath the surface to the frozen pond in the middle of the gardens.

‘People think that seeing is the perception of the world through the eyes. But is it?’ questioned Sensei Kano, waving the tip of his staff at the scene before them.

He picked up some pebbles from the path and passed one to each of his two trainees.

‘When you see a stone, you are also feeling it with your mind’s hand. Seeing is as much touching as it is sight, but because the sense of vision is so overwhelming, you are unaware of the importance of touch.’

‘But without being able to see, how did you ever learn to fight in the first place?’ Yamato asked.

‘Disability doesn’t mean inability,’ the sensei replied, throwing his own pebble into the air and striking it with his staff. The pebble landed on the pond and skittered across the ice. ‘It just means adaptability. I’ve had to use my other senses. I’ve learnt to feel my way through life. I’ve become adept at sniffing out danger and tasting fear in the air. And I’ve taught myself to listen to the world around me.’

Sensei Kano stood up and walked towards the stream.

‘Close your eyes and I will show you what I mean.’ He continued to talk to them while moving around, emphasizing each step with the thud of his
bō
striking the ground. ‘In these sessions, I’m going to train you in sensitivity techniques. You’re going to learn to use everything but your sight. Can you both point to where I am standing?’

Jack and Yamato raised their hands to indicate his position.

‘Open your eyes. Were you correct in your assumption?’

‘Hai
, Sensei,’ they replied in unison, pointing to their teacher on the bridge.

‘I would hope so. If you can hear me, then you know where I am. Close your eyes again. Aside from the sounds that your opponent may make, don’t forget the background noise that will also indicate where they are. The human body creates a sound shadow, just like a light shadow cast by the sun. If you listen out for the hole in the background noise, you can determine the position of your attacker even if they remain silent. So listen to the sounds around you, then tell me where I’ve moved to.’

Jack tried to follow the
bō
master’s movements with his ears, but, with Sensei Kano now maintaining silence, it was impossible to judge his progress. Instead Jack had to focus on the noises he could hear.

Yamato’s breathing.

The trickle of the waterfall.

The distant bustle of the city.

A lone bird calling among the treetops.

Then… he swore he heard the waterfall fade ever so slightly.

‘You’re in front of the waterfall,’ deduced Jack.

‘Excellent. Very perceptive, Jack-kun,’ praised Sensei Kano as Yamato and Jack reopened their eyes. ‘We will begin with that exercise every day until you can recognize a sound shadow in most environments. Now let’s progress on to the touch techniques of
chi sao
.’

‘Chi sao
?’ queried Yamato. ‘What does that mean? It’s not Japanese.’

‘No, it’s Chinese.
Chi sao
means “sticky hands”,’ explained Sensei Kano. ‘It’s a technique I learnt from a blind Chinese warrior in Beijing.’

Jack nudged Yamato and whispered, ‘The blind leading the blind, eh?’

They both laughed. Yamato, apparently over his disappointment at not being selected for the Circle of Three, had apologized for his behaviour the day before and their friendship was back on solid ground.

‘You could say that, Jack-kun,’ Sensei Kano continued, giving them both a sharp rap on the head with his staff for their impudence, ‘but
chi sao
is your gateway to understanding the internal aspects of martial arts – sensitivity, reflex, timing, coordination and positioning. It will teach you to undo your body’s natural instinct to resist force with force and you will learn to yield to an attack and redirect it. Most importantly, you will learn to
see
with your hands. Come here, Jack-kun, and stand opposite me in fighting stance.’

When Jack was in position, Sensei Kano knelt on one knee so they were more or less of equal height. He then rested each of his hands on the outside of Jack’s guard, so that he mirrored his stance.

‘I want you to attack me. Any kick or punch will do. You’re at zero range so you should be able to land something on an old blind man.’

Jack wasn’t so sure, but he gave it a go anyway. He went for a basic jab to the face, direct and quick.

Instantly he found himself off-balance, his lead hand trapped and Sensei Kano’s own fist in his face, the knuckles pressing against the tip of his nose.

‘Try again.’

This time Jack kicked, a roundhouse to the ribs, but before he had even moved Sensei Kano had pushed against his shoulder. Jack had to step backwards to regain his balance. At the same time, Sensei Kano had thrust a spearhand strike directly at a pressure point in his throat, stopping just short.

Jack swallowed in astonishment.

He had lost before he had even started. It was as though Sensei Kano could read his mind.

‘How do you do that?’ asked Jack, amazed.

‘I’m hearing you with my hands. I use my fingers to feel where your power is and as soon as you start to move, I counter by redirecting your energies then striking in retaliation,’ he explained. ‘You will learn this technique too. With time, you’ll be able to intercept an attack before your opponent has completed a single move.’

Sensei Kano stood up and indicated for Yamato to take his place.

‘To begin with, I want you to simply maintain contact with one another. Push and roll your forearms in a circle,’ tutored Sensei Kano, guiding them in their initial circular movements. ‘Stay relaxed. You’re trying to feel the movements of your opponent and find gaps in their defence. The main principle in
chi sao
is to greet what arrives, escort what leaves and rush in upon any loss of contact.’

Jack and Yamato were clumsy at first and had to restart several times before they managed to achieve any kind of fluidity.

‘No, don’t lean into it, Jack-kun,’ Sensei Kano instructed, his hands resting upon their shoulders so that he could judge their progress. ‘The key to
chi sao
is to keep your centre and stay relaxed. Think of yourselves as bamboo shoots in the wind. Be rooted yet remain flexible. Then you will grow to be strong.’

The winter sun was low in the sky by the time Sensei Kano called an end to their training. Jack and Yamato had continued with the same drill all afternoon until Jack thought his arms were about to drop off, but gradually the two of them had found their rhythm and the circular motions had become faster and more fluid.

‘Excellent work, boys,’ commended the
bō
master as they wended their way through the snow-laden gardens and icy waterways in the direction of the
Niten Ichi Ryū
. ‘In a few more sessions, I’ll teach you how to trap one another’s arms and spot the gaps you can attack into. It won’t be long before you’re doing
chi sao
blindfolded.’

‘We’ll never be able to do that,’ snorted Yamato. ‘It’s hard enough now and we can see what we’re doing.’

Without breaking his stride, Sensei Kano turned and walked straight across the frozen pond.

‘Watch out!’ cried Jack.

There was a splintering crack at the edges as the surface took Sensei Kano’s weight, but incredibly the ice held.

‘You would be amazed what things you can accomplish,’ shouted Sensei Kano over his shoulder to his two astonished students, ‘if only you have the courage to believe in yourself and trust your senses.’

‘How’s your training going?’ enquired Tadashi.

He sat down next to Jack and the others on the stone steps of the
Butsuden
. Tadashi had been the first student to be chosen for the Circle of Three and, following the selection, had politely introduced himself to the other entrants. Tadashi and Jack then found themselves paired together in sword training, striking up an easy friendship.

‘Good, I think,’ replied Jack. ‘Sensei Kano’s tough, though. I just hope I’ll be ready in time.’

Spring was now only two moons away and with it the flowering of the cherry-blossom trees that would herald the Circle of Three. Consequently, the sensei had begun to push their charges harder and harder. Jack and the five other entrants had been preparing for the Circle of Three for over a month and, like Jack, each of the participants had acquired a mentor. Yori’s was Sensei Yamada. Akiko and Harumi had been taken on by Sensei Yosa, while Kazuki was on an intense training schedule set by Sensei Kyuzo. In addition to his own lessons with Sensei Kano, Jack was being coached along with Tadashi under the watchful eye of Sensei Hosokawa.

‘And how about you, little warrior?’ Tadashi asked, turning to Yori.

Yori didn’t respond, but continued to gaze out at the thick blanket of snow covering the school’s courtyard. Tadashi gave Jack a nudge and mouthed to ask if Yori was all right. Jack nodded, pointing to the side of his head to indicate Yori was a deep thinker.

‘Sensei Yamada told me not to eat an elephant for lunch,’ Yori eventually replied.

Everyone stared at Yori, bewildered by his statement. Jack began to wonder exactly what sort of lessons Sensei Yamada was teaching his little friend.

‘How’s that going to help you in the Circle of Three?’ asked Saburo, looking baffled. ‘It’s impossible to eat an
entire
elephant.’

‘Precisely,’ said Kiku, shaking her head in exasperation. ‘Don’t you understand anything Sensei Yamada teaches us?’

‘I would if he didn’t always speak in riddles.’

‘He’s telling Yori not to get worried about the entire Circle of Three. Instead he should concentrate on one challenge at a time,’ Kiku explained. Then, seeing Saburo’s blank face, she continued, ‘In other words, if you broke a large meal down into smaller pieces, you’d be able to eat it all without choking like a pig!’

‘Got it!’ exclaimed Saburo. ‘Why didn’t you just say that before?’

‘That’s good advice,’ agreed Tadashi, ‘but has anyone discovered what the three Circle challenges actually are?’

They all shook their heads. Beyond knowing that the Circle referred to the three highest peaks in the Iga mountain range, the actual three challenges of Mind, Body and Spirit remained a mystery.

‘It seems bizarre to me that you’re training for something you know nothing about,’ commented Yamato, kicking the snow off the step below. Despite his best efforts to remain cheerful, he was clearly still upset at not being selected for the Circle of Three.

‘Sensei Yamada told me that’s the point. Only the unknown terrifies man,’ Yori revealed, his tiny hands trembling at the thought. ‘We’re preparing for the unknown.’

A snowball slammed into the side of Jack’s face.

Jack cried out in shock, his cheek smarting with the cold.

‘Bullseye!’ shouted a familiar voice.

Jack wiped the icy remains away and glared at Kazuki, who had entered the courtyard with his friends. They all carried snowballs and were playfully tossing them them at one another.

Kazuki ducked as Moriko, the black-toothed wildcat from the rival
Yagyu Ryū
, threw one back at him. She squealed as Kazuki plastered her with two in quick succession. Jack now wasn’t certain if Kazuki had purposely aimed at him or had simply missed Moriko. Kazuki and his friends continued to bombard one another.

To Jack’s surprise, he noticed Kazuki’s two hulking cousins among the group. Raiden and Toru were the twin brothers who had attacked Jack at the
hanami
party the previous year. Not only did it appear that Kazuki was recruiting Scorpion Gang members from the rival school, but he was bold enough to invite such students into the grounds of the
Niten Ichi Ryū
in broad daylight.

‘Kazuki, you’ve dropped your
inro
,’ said Tadashi casually, while reaching behind to scrape off a layer of snow from a higher step and compacting it into a ball behind his back.

Without thinking, Kazuki glanced down to look for his wooden carrying case. On looking up, he realized too late that he’d been tricked. Tadashi’s snowball struck him square in the face. He yowled in surprise as half of it disappeared into his mouth.

Tadashi gave Jack a sly grin and they both burst into laughter. Everyone else joined in, even Kazuki’s friends.

‘Attack! Attack!’ spluttered Kazuki, spitting out snow.