Chapter 5 : Circle Of Three

'YOUNG SAMURAI!' thundered Masamoto down the length of the Chōno-ma, the ceremonial dining hall that earned its name from the lavishly

decorated panelled walls of painted butterflies.

The students, who were kneeling in regimented rows, stiffened and

prepared for Masamoto's opening address. Jack, his legs already becoming

numb from being in the seiza posture, shifted himself in order to get a better

view of the proceedings. Masamoto sat in his usual place, raised upon a dais

behind a low table of black-lacquered cedar. The table was laid with cups of

steaming sencha, the bitter green tea the samurai enjoyed.

Masamoto took a measured sip from his cup, letting the silence sink in.

Dressed in a flame-red kimono emblazoned with his golden phoenix

kamon, Masamoto was a man who commanded total authority and deep

respect from both his students and fellow samurai. His strength of presence

was such that Jack no longer registered the crimson scarring that disfigured

the entire left-hand side of the man's face like a mask of melted candlewax.

All Jack saw was an invincible warrior.

Flanking him on either side were the sensei of the Niten Ichi Ryū and

two other samurai Jack didn't recognize.

'This dinner is in honour of our daimyo, Lord of Kyoto Province,

Takatomi Hideaki,' announced Masamoto, bowing humbly to the man on

his immediate left.

Every student and sensei did likewise.

This was the first time Jack had laid eyes upon the daimyo whose life

he'd saved. A genial man with large dewy eyes, a brushstroke of a

moustache and a generous rounded belly, he wore a flamboyant ceremonial

kimono decorated with five kamon of a white crane, two on the sleeves, two

on the chest and one on the back. He gave a short respectful nod of his head

in acknowledgement of Masamoto's respect.

Masamoto sat back up. Then the sensei and students straightened in

rank order, the new students being the last to raise their heads.

'Takatomi-sama has graced us with his presence in recognition of our

victory at the Taryu-Jiai against the Yagyu Ryū.'

The school let loose a great cheer.

'And following our prevention of the attempt on his life he has

generously extended his sponsorship of the Niten Ichi Ryū, securing the

future of this school indefinitely.'

The students chanted and clapped in unison three times.

'TAKATOMI!' CLAP! 'TAKATOMI!' CLAP! 'TAKATOMI!' CLAP!

The daimyo gave a cordial smile and the briefest of bows in response.

'Furthermore, he has bestowed upon the school a new training hall: the

Taka-no-ma, the Hall of The Hawk!'

The students erupted into applause and fevered discussion broke out. A

new hall meant the possibility of another martial art being taught.

Masamoto held his hand up for silence. Immediately, the students checked

their enthusiasm and he continued his address.

'Before we commence the meal, allow me to introduce our second

guest.'

Masamoto directed his attention to a large barrel of a man whose round

head was covered in a fuzz of short black hair and a similarly fuzzy beard.

'Sensei Kano is a bōjutsu master visiting us from the Mugan Ryū, our

sister school in Osaka. Under his tutelage, you will learn how to defend and

attack with the bō staff. Sensei Kano is a man of great heart and greater

skill. You could not ask for a better teacher in the Art of the Bō.'

Despite the new teacher's presence dominating the dais, the immense

samurai appeared to shrink under Masamoto's praise. He gave a humble

bow to the room, his smoky-grey eyes staring blankly down the hall as if he

was trying to avoid everyone's gaze.

The students bowed respectfully in return.

'Finally, as some of you are aware, it has been three years since the last

Circle of Three…'

The atmosphere in the Chō-no-ma instantly became tense with

excitement, every student kneeling ramrod straight in anticipation. Jack,

though, was at a complete loss, having no idea what Masamoto was talking

about. He looked over to Akiko for an explanation, but like the rest of the

school her eyes remained fixed upon Masamoto.

'For those students who have the courage and the ability, the time has

come to prove you are worthy to be called samurai of the Niten Ichi Ryū.

And those who do will progress on to the Two Heavens without the need for

further training.'

Jack had an inkling of what the Two Heavens was. He'd heard it was

Masamoto's secret martial art technique and that only the very best students

were given the privilege of learning from the great man himself. But

beyond that the Two Heavens remained a mystery.

'The Circle of Three, as tradition dictates, will commence when the

winds blow the cherry blossom from the branches,' continued Masamoto.

'Those of you who believe you are ready to meet the Circle's three

challenges of Mind, Body and Spirit should log their names with Sensei

Kyuzo at the end of this evening. A series of four selection trials will then

be held at first snowfall to test your strength, skill, intellect and courage.

The five students deemed the best in these trials will go through to the

Circle.'

Masamoto spread his arms wide so that the sleeves of his flame-red

kimono appeared to transform him into the fiery phoenix of his kamon.

'Be warned! The Circle of Three is not to be entered into lightly. It

demands you understand the seven virtues of bushido if you are to have any

hope of surviving.' The great warrior paused, his gaze taking in all his

students. 'So tell me what is bushido?'

'Rectitude! Courage! Benevolence! Respect! Honesty! Honour!

Loyalty!' boomed the students down the Chō-no-ma.

Masamoto nodded with satisfaction. 'And it is the virtue of courage

that you will need most,' he cautioned. 'So during these coming months of

training, remember this: learn today so that you may live tomorrow!'

With the declaration of the school's maxim, Masamoto brought the

address to an end and the students thundered their response.

'MASAMOTO! MASAMOTO! MASAMOTO!'

The refrain died away and servants entered, carrying several long

lacquered tables. These were laid in two rows that stretched the entire

length of the Chō-no-ma. Jack seated himself between Akiko and Yamato,

feeling a small thrill that they weren't positioned right next to the entrance.

They were no longer the new students and this meant that they had moved

several symbolic places nearer the head table.

Jack always enjoyed ceremonial dinners. The formality of such events

demanded that a vast array of dishes be provided in honour of the guest. On

this occasion, sushi was high on the menu, alongside tofu, noodles,

tempura, bowls of miso soup, pickled yellow daikon and purple eggplant.

Steaming pots of sencha were accompanied by vast quantities of rice piled

high in bowls across their table. The centrepiece was an overflowing plate

of sliced eel, grilled and smothered in a sticky red sauce.

'Itadakimasu!' proclaimed Masamoto.

'Itadakimasu!' responded the students, picking up their hashi and

tucking into the banquet.

Despite the delicious spread, Jack was distracted from the meal by his

desperate desire to know more about the Circle of Three. Everybody else,

though, was focused upon devouring the feast before them.

'Jack, you should try the unagi,' suggested Saburo, a slightly rotund,

plain-looking boy with a chubby face made even chubbier by a mouthful of

food.

Jack looked doubtfully across the table at his friend, whose thick black

eyebrows bounced up and down in unison with his enthusiastic chewing of

a grey stringy lump of eel's liver. It didn't look particularly appetizing,

thought Jack, but he could remember the first time he'd been faced with

sushi. The thought of uncooked fish had almost turned his stomach over,

whereas now he relished the soft, succulent flesh of tuna, mackerel and

salmon. Eel's liver, though, was another matter.

'It's good for your health,' Akiko reassured him, spooning some rice

into her bowl, but avoiding the eel herself.

Jack tentatively picked up a grey lump and lowered it into his mouth.

When he bit into the liver, he almost gagged at the intensity of the flavour.

It was as if a thousand wriggling eels had exploded on his tongue.

He forced a grimace of a smile for Akiko's benefit and kept chewing.

The eel's liver had better be good for his health, he thought.

'So who's going to enter for the Circle of Three?' Saburo blurted

between mouthfuls, expressing what was clearly on everyone's minds.

'Not me!' replied Kiku. 'I heard a student died last time.'

Beside her, Yori, a small mouse-like boy, gave a wide-eyed look of

dread and shook his head vigorously in response to Saburo's question.

'That's just a rumour spread by the sensei to scare us,' reassured

Akiko, giving Yori an encouraging smile.

'No, it's not. My father's expressly forbidden me from entering,' said

Kiku. 'He told me it's needlessly dangerous.'

'But what exactly is the Circle?' asked Jack.

'The Circle of Three,' explained Akiko, putting down her hashi, 'are

the three highest peaks in the Iga mountain range where trainee samurai

face the three challenges of Mind, Body and Spirit.'

'So what are the challenges?'

Akiko shook her head apologetically. 'I don't know. They're kept a

secret.'

'Whatever they are,' said Yamato, 'my father will be expecting me to

enter, so I guess I'll find out first hand. What about you, Saburo? Are you

going to enter?'

'I'm considering it,' replied Saburo, swallowing down another piece of

unagi.

'That means no. Obviously, you're too scared! How about you, Jack?'

Jack thought for a moment as Saburo sat open-mouthed, uncertain

whether to protest or not. 'I don't know. Is it worth the risk? I know it leads

to the Two Heavens, but I'm still not sure what the Two Heavens actually

is.'

'Jack, you've seen the Two Heavens,' stated Akiko.

Jack gave her a perplexed look. 'When?'

'On the beach in Toba. Remember how Masamoto-sama fought against

the samurai Godai? He used both the katana and the wakizashi, rather than

just his katana sword. That is the Two Heavens. The technique is extremely

difficult to master, but when you do, you are virtually invincible.'

'My father fought over sixty duels while on his warrior pilgrimage,'

announced Yamato proudly. 'Not once was he defeated.'

Jack's mind began to race.

He'd been made aware that he needed to become a better swordsman.

By succeeding in the Circle of Three, he would be given the opportunity to

be taught by both Sensei Hosokawa and Masamoto. Not only that, he would

learn how to use two swords. The idea filled him with hope. For if he could

master the Two Heavens, then he would be invincible like Masamoto. No

longer would he need to fear the return of Dragon Eye.

'Are all students who conquer the Circle taught the technique of Two

Heavens?' asked Jack.

'Yes, of course,' replied Akiko.

Jack smiled. Surely the Circle of Three was the solution to his

predicament.

'Then I will enter.'