The Hand of Death Ch. 03

Chapter III

"The Use of Spies"

"The Art of War"

~by Sun Tzu~

Sensei Nokizaru was a good teacher, and over the next few years, a good friend. We were in a small, bare dojo somewhere in the bowels of Shiro Goemon, in the labyrinth. The labyrinth was a series of secret tunnels that ran beneath the city ranging from the Aobozu's woods, where I met Eita for the first time, all the way to the docks outside of town. There were many secret entrances for it throughout the castle and the town.

The series of stone rooms Sensei brought me to were a part of those tunnels. I found out later they were his personal dojo. He had brought the wooden floor in and built it himself. The dojo was stone and wood, quiet and moist. In all, it was a very peaceful and safe place.

At that moment I was more concerned with doing well on my immediate task. I started with all the kata I knew, beginning with Kara-Te. Once that was done I moved immediately to Koga Jujutsu. When I had finally finished, he approached quietly.

"Not bad, Hiro san." He was nodding. "You still have much to learn where Jujutsu is

concerned so we will focus on that for now."

I didn't get to see my friends or family over the next several weeks. Nothing but training. Sensei was surprised at how fast I picked up the martial arts he taught me.

"Hiro san, it appears that I shall have to pick up the pace a little." He smiled.

I was very honored. He moved on to tactics and stealth. I poured over many books. The Dao I was familiar with, General Sun's The Art of War the Koga edition, Ottomo's Small Deaths, Roko's Winter Harvest, and many more I had never seen. I learned to love libraries. They were peaceful and there was just so much knowledge to be had.

Sensei's personal library was very interesting. He had texts on infiltration, disguise, explosives, forgery, shadow work, and history. I learned from these books until Sensei was satisfied with what I had memorized.

Sensei gave me a small piece of advice one day, "to open my eyes," as he would say.

"Remember Hiro, just because they wrote it, does not make it so."

He shifted our hours to night while we slept during the day. He also shortened my sleeping time. There are twelve hours in the day, and most people get four of these for sleep. I only got three, from the midday to evening. It took a long time to get used to this. Between training and reading, I had no time for friends and family. My Sensei was not uncaring, he just had a goal to meet and he wasn't going to fail.

Eventually he noticed I was becoming a little worn down, so he came up with a few games for us to play. These were meant to continue my training but be a bit more fun about it. My favorite game was "Tag." He would hide while I looked for him. My goal was to get the drop on him. I usually failed, but he seemed to be pleased with my performance. We played that game everywhere: in the gardens, around the castle, it didn't matter. We would be walking somewhere and he would hit my shoulder. "Tag!" I would have to close my eyes while he went somewhere for me to find him and sneak up on him.

Sometimes, I would tag him. I wish my mother could have seen his face the first time I did that! To my surprise, I was much better at not being caught than catching him.

The training was so pervasive, and he wouldn't let me forget anything. He quizzed me on what I had read months ago. He made me continue to practice Kara-Te, Jujutsu, and anything else he taught me. Soon he had to set up a schedule throughout the month for me to cover everything. In one of his more "compassionate" moments he said,

"Poor Hiro. There is so much to learn." He put his arm around me. "Well. Do not fret," he said as he kind of shook me gently. "It is only going to get worse." He was smiling when I looked up at him, shocked.

After six months of this he was finally pleased with my progress in Jujutsu enough that he started teaching me Ninjutsu, the art of the assassin. Koga jujutsu is what samurai and nobles are taught, although some lords do teach it to their peasants as well. Ninjutsu is an art specifically for our assassins; also known as ninja or shinobi. Along with this came the work with all of the new weaponry. The Fukiya blow gun, Shurikan throwing stars, Shuko hand claws, Ashiko foot spikes, Ninja-to, which is a straight bladed sword, and sooooo many more. I loved them.

He made me learn to use these weapons along with everything else. Not hard to do since I looked forward to them. They were added to the list of things to do every few days. He also made me start wearing heavy metal plates in pockets sewn inside my shirt and pants. I wore the weighted clothing under my kimono where they couldn't be seen.

Another six months and New Year's was upon us again. I would be nine this year. Sensei did me the honor of letting me go home for the day to visit my family. My father wasn't there but I had a grand time with my mother.

"Sensei Nokizaru, told me to expect you, my son," She said when I arrived.

She was so happy to see me. I had always felt bad that she was left alone. My uncle Tozasu came by with his new wife, Pe. Apparently, the two of them made regular visits to my mother. I was pleased to see that Tozasu and Pe were still very happy together. We exchanged gifts and bantered about the Daimyo's son, Masao and how his wedding was coming up in a few months. He was engaged to one of the many sisters of the Shotoku family Daimyo, Yoshio. Her name was Kumiko and she was the fourth child of nine. She apparently was very intelligent and very beautiful. The wedding would be held in the castle of our city.

In the meantime, my uncle was very busy making ceremonial dress for every one of the nobles of Goemon Toshi and several nobles from other castles in our House who would be attending and had knowledge of his skill. My uncle was a mixture of flattered, honored and tired. My mother had been spending much of her time at his shop helping to fill his orders. I knew how much she still wished to be a seamstress and this looked to be helping her fulfill that fantasy.

Soon though, we all went outside to watch the holiday fireworks. We had a wonderful visit, but when it had grown late I had to return to my room at the dojo. It had always seemed uninviting, but tonight, with the noise of the crowds celebrating in the streets, and the smell from the fireworks, it was exceptionally gloomy.

I had been given a small room which had a hidden door to conceal it. Stone walls and ceiling covered the ten foot by eight foot space. I used it to sleep, read, and store all of my weapons and training gear. It had a small chest, a large chest, a futon, and a large mirror on the wall. I undressed and put on my training weights and clothing to prepare for whatever Sensei had in store for me that night.

After only a few months of Ninjutsu, Sensei started running me through tests against other people. It started by shadowing people in town, always at night. I dressed in black with a hood so as to blend in with shadows better. The first was my old friend Xi the jeweler. He was easy because of his age and the fact that no one had any reason to follow him. The targets got progressively harder after that.

One night I found myself tucked into a corner trying to follow my Daimyo across the gardens. I was sure this was a bad idea but Sensei insisted. It had started easy enough. I slipped out of the labyrinth just before the end of the court in early evening. There were plenty of dark areas in the castle and things to hide behind if no one had a reason to check. A little patience got me past the guards outside the court room and there was enough of a crowd left at the end of court to cover my finding a spot against the wall just inside the court.

I moved slowly and smoothly against the far wall while people filtered out so as not to attract anyone's attention. I had seen my Daimyo step into his small office near the dais a few moments before so I made my way there. Unfortunately, by the time I got there everyone had left the room, which was when the two stationed guards did their sweep. I had to hold fast a few moments for them to go past before I could tiptoe through to the office.

I could not go through the shoji screens as that would be too loud. I had to quietly hop up to the cross beam at the top of the dividing wall and slowly lift myself to the shadows in the rafters. The room was empty. There were only about nine ways out of it that I could see so I waited a few moments to figure out where to go next. Just then I heard what sounded like my lord talking to someone in the gardens so I moved to the exterior wall. I saw two samurai guarding the office door to my left so I would have to be very quiet when I dropped down from the rafters to the outside.

I moved to the corner of the garden wall near where I was and slowly lowered myself to the ground. I could see Tetsuya had just settled onto a bench while talking to several of his closest advisers. I eased up along the wall keeping low to use the foliage of the garden to help conceal me. When I was able to get about 10 feet from him I decided to move closer to get a better vantage point. Just then black smoke seemed to come towards me from out of a tree. A leg appeared from somewhere in the mist and tripped me to the ground. My right arm was pulled behind my back before I knew what was happening and there I was. Stuck. Face down in the dirt.

I heard the man behind me say, "My Lord? I have subdued a "boy" for you."

Tetsuya looked up from his thoughts and approached. "What boy?"

The man kept my arm behind my back while he pulled me to my knees and removed my hood. My Daimyo showed no surprise when he saw my face.

"The training goes well, I assume, Hiro san?"

"Very well, Tetsuya sama." I gritted out through clenched teeth. The man behind me had a grip like steel. "I do apologize for following you, my Daimyo."

He laughed a little. The group of advisers seemed to be in a tizzy but none of them spoke loud enough to disturb our lord. "Do not apologize for following me, Hiro san. Apologize for getting caught." He motioned for the man to release my arm as he helped me to stand.

"I am very sorry I failed you in this test, my Daimyo."

He smiled at that. "Yes....Ryu san, how close did he get?"

I turned to see a man dressed very much like me, hood and all. He had just sheathed his Ninja-To when he kind of hung his head a little and said, "I am sorry to report, I did not know he was there until he moved from the corner of the garden, my Daimyo."

Tetsuya nodded and said, "Good. Hiro, put away your hood and return to your Sensei in a

normal fashion."

I bowed and left the garden. I headed back to the entrance of the labyrinth to report my failure to Sensei. The guards at the office and in the courtroom were very surprised but not Sensei. I had expected him to be disappointed but once I told him all that had happened he simply nodded. "Very good, Hiro san."

The next day my Sensei took me to the Mononofu dojo to pit my skills against the other young samurai of the Koga. It was a typical school. It had students of all ages and little in the way of decor. They were training to become samurai so the focus was on Kenjutsu, which is the art of fencing. I didn't wear the plates for school so I found out quickly that I was much more agile than the other students. I was still beaten many times but I won more as time went on. He added the dojo to my already full regimen of training.

I learned much about how to handle various weapons, the katana, the yari spear, the yumi bow, and even a tetsubo war club. I made several friends in my class; I would talk with them between sessions with the instructor, Sensei Suana. It was another six months before Sensei came to me and said, "Hiro san, you have progressed far enough that you may now visit your mother when you have time."

"Domo arigato, Grandfather."

I had taken to calling him this because I never had one, and he seemed the closest thing to it that I was ever going to have. He smiled whenever I called him by that title.

"I will still expect the same level of discipline from you but since you have proven you can do your duty without complaining... too much, it seems a just reward."

I nodded to him. "It is very kind of you."

"Well do not let that get out. Yes?"

I smiled. "Yes, Sensei." He then sat down next to me where I had been reading and quizzed me about the book.

With these new liberties I was able to come and go as I pleased. My hours were still different, and I was expected to pass a quiz on any topic at a moment's notice, but I could see my friends and family again. It had been so long. I went and told my mother the good news. She was very pleased.

The town hadn't changed any. I was treated with respect wherever I went but once out of sight, whomever I was talking to would immediately relax. The citizens had missed me and I them.

Cho, Himi, and Goruchi were all surprised to see me but since I had not seen them in over a year I was expecting a little more out of them. They seemed a little distant. I talked with them after they had finished working, cleaning out the stables for Pe's geisha house. Cho was the first to mention that something was bothering them.

"Hiro, we need your help." They all leaned in at that comment.

"With what?"

"Do you remember that nobleman's sons we... took care of?" he whispered.

"Of course I do."

"Their father has found out who we are and is making our lives hell."

I stopped and tried to remember his name, "Tisada?"

"Yes! That's him! You know him?"

I nodded. "I have met him once. He was not pleasant."

"Well he is really unpleasant now." I motioned for him to go on. "He has made sure that Himi's mother can get no work anywhere. And as for the three of us? Sheesh. We can get nothing!"

"But, I just saw you working in the stables." I pointed back towards the building.

"Yes. Pe can't be bought by anyone except the Daimyo. But she doesn't pay as well as most, as you remember."

I did. We only helped because we liked to see the pretty girls but the pay was terrible. Not that Pe was cheap, the work was just so simple anyone could do it.

"So, he has paid off, or I'm betting, scared off anyone that would hire you?"

They all nodded emphatically. "Yes! That's it exactly! Can you help?"

I shook my head a little. "I don't know. I need to find out more about this man. Let me talk to my Sensei, he should have some idea of what to do."

They hesitantly agreed. I left them there and headed back to Grandfather's dojo. As I walked I thought on what could four children do to a courtier of the Koga House. 'Not much' was what I came up with.

I arrived at the dojo half an hour before our session was to begin. Sensei Nokizaru was kneeling in the middle of the floor, meditating. I walked up to him and knelt down before him. When he did not open his eyes I decided to close mine. I relaxed and concentrated on my breathing. When a quarter of an hour had passed I heard him address me.

"Hiro san, are you ready for tonight's training?"

"No, sensei." He looked at me, puzzled. "My friends have told me, a lord Tisada has been

making their lives difficult."

"Ah! Yes, I have heard of this."

That shocked me. "Why have you not told me about it, sensei?"

"...Perhaps I am old and forget. Perhaps I have never liked children. Or perhaps my duty is to my House and my Daimyo, and not to your friends." It took me a moment but I nodded.

"What am I to do?"

He pulled his head back a bit. "About what?"

"Tisada."

"Hmm, well I do not know. What are you to do?" He had a mocking sympathetic look on his face.

"Will you not help me?"

"Ha ha ha no, Hiro. If you cannot handle Tisada on your own then I have been wasting my time." He watched me as I sat there perplexed. "What do you know about him?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Hmm, perhaps you should start there?" I shrugged. "Defend!"

I jumped up at his command going straight into the sideways stance of Jujutsu. We trained for the rest of the night. Neither of us brought up the subject again. Afterward I did request a map of Shiro Goemon though.

"Why do you need a map?"

"I would like to know my surroundings better, Sensei."

He nodded. "I will make you one this morning before I go to bed."

"Domo arigato, Grandfather."

I bowed to him, and he bowed back before leaving. I cleaned up and went to bed. I couldn't sleep at first. I was too busy thinking about where to start with Tisada. Grandfather made him sound like an easy victory. Was I giving the man too much credit? When I awoke I went and found my friends. I told them what Sensei had said and what I planned to do. Goruchi was very verbal about this.

"What?!"

"I am going to memorize what I can of the castle's secret passages and follow the man. When I find something we can use against him, we strike."

"Hiro, we're - farmer's - children!"

"Yes, I noticed that part." I nodded.

He nodded back. "Did you? And did you notice he is an adviser to - our - Daimyo?"

"We don't know what he is, Chi." They were less than impressed. I went on, "I will need all of your help when he travels about the city."

Cho asked the question. "How?"

"I will not be able to exit the hidden passages as fast as he can the castle, so you will have to pick him up if he leaves it. All three of you do it so that you can trade off from street to street. OK?" They weren't happy but they nodded. Himi spoke, trying to lift our spirits.

"Well, at least it can't get any worse." He smiled.

Chi moved like he was going to hit him. "Don't say that!"

Himi looked at him as if to say 'What?'

And Cho just shook his head. "We're off to a great start."

That night after training Grandfather gave me the map. The next day I had to go to the samurai dojo so I couldn't start using the map until that evening. That night I toured the castle and became very familiar with all of the hidden passages and alcoves that the map had shown me. I was especially fond of the labyrinth. It was so large. I spent many hours traveling around down there. I spent more up top learning where the spy holes were. I made sure not to peek in on anything that might get me killed, like lord Tetsuya ordering someone's death or something. I was nervous about this stuff because I never really knew what they would be talking about.

One day I overheard Lord Goemon Tesaguri, Tisada's master I came to find out, discussing with Tetsuya how well Eita was doing in his training. My Daimyo seemed very pleased by this. I was glad to hear he was succeeding, though I did not know in what.

Between the four of us we came to realize that, Tisada served Tesaguri, to the point that he would almost run to accomplish whatever task his lord gave him. He was an assistant to Tesaguri, nothing more. His lord had advisers and Tisada was not one of them. Tisada was a toady and a pack pony. Tisada had no pull with the Daimyo other than not to have caused his displeasure, so far.

Tesaguri on the other hand, he held the Daimyo's ear. How much weight Tetsuya put on his word I don't know, and I didn't want to know. It didn't concern our problem and it was a little too far into my Daimyo's business for my liking.

We watched Tisada for two months before we finally felt ready. Now, Tisada lived in a modest room on the fourth floor of the west wing of the castle. He had moved there after the loss of his children, who, I might add, were never found. His master lived in a moderately sized home in the samurai district of Goemon Toshi. I would be able to scale the stone exterior of the first two floors of the castle with my friends' help. I could then make my way, on my own, up the side of the building using shuko on my hands and ashiko on my feet.