Part 9 (1/2)

Hanzo ran off to the edge of the glade and waited for Jack to take up position. Turning round, Jack listened intently for the boy's approach. He didn't expect Hanzo to get very far. Sensei Kano had taught Jack how to hear sound shadows. But there was no reason to tell Hanzo about that skill. Not yet, anyway.

The glade was quiet, the stream too lazy to make much noise. This would be easy. 'Ready when you are,' Jack called out.

'Your turn!' Hanzo replied, his grinning face right next to him.

For the second time that morning, Jack almost jumped out of his skin. How on earth had Hanzo crept up on him like that? For a brief moment, he thought the boy had cheated. But Hanzo's trouser legs were clearly wet.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jack crossed the brook for his attempt. Sinking into a low back stance just as Miyuki had done, Jack lifted his front foot and took a step. His toes touched the ground, but as the rest of his foot made contact there was a sharp snap of a twig.

'Heard you!' said Hanzo. 'Try again.'

Miyuki gave Jack a sorry shake of the head.

'You need to feel with your toes first,' observed Soke. 'Then transfer your weight little by little. That way you can stop if you begin to make a sound.'

Jack warily tested the ground ahead. He edged slowly across the glade, the other ninja pa.s.sing in silent speed. Halfway across, his leg muscles began to ache. He wasn't used to such painstaking movement. As he entered the long gra.s.s, Jack lost his balance and his lead leg brushed against the seed heads.

'Heard you!' cried Hanzo. 'Last chance.'

Jack now felt the pressure. Everyone else was watching him. Concentrating on each foot placement, Jack somehow managed to reach the stream without further mishap. But as soon as he stepped into the water, he made a loud splash.

'Heard you again again!' said Hanzo, turning round. 'You're not very good for a tengu tengu, are you?'

'Tengu are better at flying,' Jack retorted, much to the amus.e.m.e.nt of the others. are better at flying,' Jack retorted, much to the amus.e.m.e.nt of the others.

'It wasn't bad for a first attempt,' said Soke. 's.h.i.+n.o.bi aruki takes time to master. Practise your stealth-walking in the paddy fields every day until you can cross them without making a single ripple.' takes time to master. Practise your stealth-walking in the paddy fields every day until you can cross them without making a single ripple.'

Soke now summoned all the students into a circle.

'However refined your stealth techniques are, sometimes you'll be discovered. Other times you may need to deliver information quickly. In those instances, escape running is essential. This is where we combine the Ring of Wind and the Ring of Water. Not only must you run fast, but you have to avoid and overcome obstacles. So I'm going to split you into teams of three and set you a challenge.'

Soke put Jack in a group with Tenzen and Miyuki, much to her annoyance.

'The first team to get back to the village is the winner,' declared Soke. 'But you cannot use the road. For the purpose of this exercise, it's patrolled by samurai. That means your route must be through the forest. You'll encounter a number of barriers on the way. Use teamwork and jumping skills to get past these.'

The students readied themselves.

'You'd better fly fast, tengu tengu,' cried Hanzo. 'We're going to beat you!'

'Big talk for a small boy,' shot back Tenzen on his team's behalf.

Miyuki turned to Jack and whispered, 'I hope you run better than you walk. I don't like losing.'

'Neither do I,' replied Jack, her comment rousing his samurai spirit.

Miyuki scowled at him, but had no opportunity to reply.

'You've been discovered,' announced Soke. 'Escape!'

17.

DRAGON B BREATHING.

The ninja students charged out of the glade.

Jack was soon left behind by Tenzen and Miyuki. They flew through the forest, bounding over logs and weaving between trees like young deer. Jack was fit, but not as amazingly agile as these ninja. He had to clamber over a fallen tree his two partners had jumped in a single leap. The dense undergrowth clawed at his clothes, while Tenzen and Miyuki appeared to glide through unscathed.

'Keep up, samurai!' demanded Miyuki.

Jack, his heart pounding in his chest, raced after them. He sensed a couple of the teams were trailing behind them, but he needed to prove he was as good as the best of the ninja. Putting on a burst of speed, he pursued his receding team members.

'Ditch!' warned Tenzen.

Jack jumped, only seeing it at the last second.

But he didn't leap far enough. His foot missed the far side, he slipped and tumbled to the ground. Thankfully, his taijutsu taijutsu training kicked in. Throwing out an arm to protect himself, Jack rolled to his feet in one fluid motion. He was up and running before he'd even registered the fall. training kicked in. Throwing out an arm to protect himself, Jack rolled to his feet in one fluid motion. He was up and running before he'd even registered the fall.

Glancing back, Tenzen gave Jack an approving nod at his ukemi ukemi skills. skills.

The next obstacle they encountered was the valley's river. Too wide for them to leap across unaided, the ninja were using long staves and vaulting it. Miyuki was already on the other side.

'Come on!' she called, tossing Jack a pole.

Jack hesitated. He'd never done this before.

'I'll show you,' said Tenzen.

Taking the pole, he ran at the river. As he reached the bank, Tenzen buried the tip of the stave into the middle of the waterway and leapt high into the air. He flew up and over, vaulting to the opposite side where he landed lightly upon his feet.

'Your turn!' he said, throwing the pole back.

Plucking up his courage, Jack gripped the wooden stave and lifted it off the ground. He charged towards the river, driving the pole into the water. But he hadn't counted on the pull of the current. As he buried the tip into the riverbed, the pole was yanked off-line. Too late to correct his mistake, he launched himself and hoped for the best.

Jack soared into the air, then lost all momentum.

For a moment, he hung suspended over the river. Then, like a felled tree, he slowly toppled sideways into the water with a loud splash. Jack came up gasping and swam hard for the opposite bank. Miyuki didn't bother waiting for him.

'You'll never cross a moat like that,' said Tenzen, dragging him out of the river. 'Next time, throw your body weight forward as you jump.'

Bedraggled, Jack clambered to his feet as Tenzen ran on.

Jack eventually caught up with them both at a small rock face. It was the perfect natural barrier for the village further up the valley. The Ring of Earth in action The Ring of Earth in action, thought Jack.

One of the teams was already at the top, Hanzo waving at him.