Jack was flying through the air.
The floor rushed up to meet him. With a sickening crunch, he landed on
his back, the wind completely knocked out of him. He lay there, gasping for
breath.
A second later, Yamato crumpled in a pile next to him, followed by
Saburo who dropped on top of them both, pinning them to the floor.
'Idiot!' they both barked at Saburo.
'Sorry. His claims just seemed a little… unbelievable,' replied Saburo,
rolling off them and rubbing his chest.
'Well, now you know they weren't!' said Yamato, kicking him away.
Jack shot Saburo a resentful look. It was his fault that they were in such
trouble. Sensei Kyuzo had been introducing himself and listing his victories
over various renowned warriors, when Saburo inadvertently snorted his
disbelief and Sensei Kyuzo had stormed over.
'What was that? Think I'd lie for the benefit of a snivelling kohai? Think
someone my size cannot defeat a six-foot Korean warrior? Get up! You,
Yamato-kun and the gaijin there,' he said, stabbing a gnarled finger at Jack.
'Attack me. All of you at once.'
They had stood awkwardly in the middle of the Butokuden, looking like
startled rabbits. The old man was smaller than all of them, but appeared as
dangerous as a rattlesnake.
'Come on. I thought you were samurai!' he taunted. 'I'll even it up a
little. I promise only to use my right arm.'
The class had sniggered at this outlandish gesture.
'Attack me now!' he screamed.
They had stared at one another, then, as one, charged at Sensei Kyuzo.
Jack had not even touched the sensei before he was flung through the air,
crash-landing on the dojo floor moments before Yamato and Saburo joined
him in humiliating defeat.
As Jack knelt back in line, he noticed Kazuki smirking at him.
'I am grateful to my parents for giving me a small body. Warriors
underestimate me. You underestimate me,' said Sensei Kyuzo defiantly.
'Have I knocked belief into you yet, Saburo-kun?'
'Hai, Sensei,' said Saburo, bowing so quickly that his forehead struck the
floor.
Sensei Kyuzo continued to lecture them, while forcibly punching and
stabbing his fingers at a wooden post. His fingers, hard as iron, made the
post shudder each time he struck it.
'In order to overcome bigger opponents, I have had to hone my
techniques to perfection and train twice as hard.'
His voice pummelled their ears in short bursts, keeping time with his
punching.
'If my enemy trains one hour, I train two. If they train two hours, I train
four. The key to taijutsu is hard work, constant training and discipline.
Hai?'
'Hai, Sensei,' said each student.
'I asked if you understood. The Gods in Heaven need to hear your
answer. Hai?' demanded Sensei Kyuzo again.
'HAI, SENSEI!' They yelled in unison, their shout resounding off the
walls.
'Every time you step out of that door, you face ten thousand foes. Hai?'
'HAI, SENSEI!'
'Regard your hands and feet as weapons against them. Hai?'
'HAI, SENSEI!'
'Tomorrow's victory is today's practice. Hai?'
'HAI, SENSEI!'
'Your first year of taijutsu will be devoted to basic techniques.'
Sensei Kyuzo continued to verbally punch the air with his words while
slamming the wooden post with his fist.
'Master the basics. They are all that matter. Get your stances right. Make
your moves precise. Then you can fight. Fancy techniques are for travelling
fairs and impressing the ladies. The basics are for battle.'
Suddenly he stopped his pounding of the post.
'You, gaijin! Come over here,' ordered Sensei Kyuzo.
'My name is Jack, Sensei,' replied Jack stiffly, taken aback at the sensei's
insulting use of the term.
'Fine. Gaijin Jack, come here,' he said, beckoning him with one sharp
flick of his hand.
Kazuki let out a snort of laughter, whispering 'Gaijin Jack' under his
breath to Nobu.
'Kazuki-kun!' said Sensei Kyuzo, without taking his eyes off Jack. 'I
trust that you will live up to your father's reputation as a samurai. Pay
attention!'
Jack got up and stood opposite Sensei Kyuzo. He didn't know what to
expect; the sensei was clearly ruthless. Jack certainly wasn't going to
underestimate him again.
'Before we deal with kicking, punching or throwing, you must be able to
control your enemy. We are going to start with grabs and locks, since it is
easier for you to feel the energy lines in a hold than a strike.'
He squared up to Jack, eyeing him meanly.
'Grab my wrist as if you were trying to prevent me from drawing my
sword. Attack me!' he ordered Jack.
Jack stepped up and warily took hold of the sensei's arm. His own wrist
instantly flared with pain and he involuntarily dropped to his knees to
relieve the agony. Sensei Kyuzo had merely wrapped his hand over Jack's
arm and twisted it towards him, but the effect was overpowering.
'This is nikkyō. It applies painful nerve pressure to the wrist and
forearm,' explained Sensei Kyuzo. 'Tap your hand on your thigh or the
floor when it gets too unbearable, gaijin.'
Sensei Kyuzo then rolled Jack's wrist a notch further and Jack was
blinded with agony. Jack slapped his thigh manically and the technique
came off. Through eyes watery with pain, Jack could see Kazuki thoroughly
delighting in his public suffering.
'Get up and attack me as hard and fast as you can,' he ordered.
Jack did, but was immediately driven to the ground again by the
excruciating agony of the same simple move. Jack's hand thrashed wildly
on his thigh and the pressure was released.
'You see the soft controls the hard. The harder Gaijin Jack tried to attack,
the easier it was for me to defeat him,' he said, a callous smile on his lips as
he demonstrated the technique several more times for the benefit of the
class.
Sensei Kyuzo then performed further techniques on Jack, flinging him
around like a puppet, using him as a punching bag, pushing him over for
having a poor stance. By the end, Jack was exhausted, battered, bruised and
aching.
'Now I want all of you to practise nikkyō. Partner up – decide who is the
tori, executing the technique, and who is the uke, receiving the technique.
Kazuki, why not train with my uke? He should be nicely warmed up for
you.'
Jack groaned inwardly at the unfairness of it all, but was determined not
to let his frustration get the better of him in front of Kazuki.
'Since you are my uke, Gaijin Jack, I go first,' said Kazuki, offering his
arm for Jack to grab.
'Remember, everyone,' warned Sensei Kyuzo. 'If the technique is
applied too severely, tap the floor or your thigh to let your partner know.
They must release you.'
Jack clamped his hand over Kazuki's wrist, confident that Kazuki's
inexperience would mean he would not be able to apply the technique. But
Kazuki had clearly practised nikkyō before. Jack dropped to his knees, his
body instinctively reacting to avoid the pain.
Jack tapped his thigh.
Kazuki applied more pressure.
Jack tapped harder.
Kazuki twisted Jack's wrist as far as it would go. So acute was his agony
that tears streamed down his face. Kazuki looked on, a vindictive glee in his
eyes.
'Change partners,' commanded Sensei Kyuzo.
'Good training with you, Gaijin Jack,' spat Kazuki, discarding Jack's
wrist then striding off to find his next victim.
Jack fumed. He hadn't even been given the chance to retaliate.
When class came to an end, Jack was the first out.
Akiko came hurrying out and chased after him.
'Are you all right, Jack?' she asked.
'Of course not! Why didn't Sensei Kyuzo pick someone else to
demonstrate on?' he said, exploding with pent-up rage. 'He has it in for me.
He's just like Kazuki. He hates gaijin.'
'No, he doesn't. Sensei Kyuzo will probably use someone else next
time,' she said, trying to placate him. 'Anyway, it is good to be uke.
Masamoto told me that it's the best way to learn. You will then know how
the technique should feel when applied properly.'
Jack could hear the taunts of 'Gaijin Jack' and their accompanying
giggles from the passing students as they left the Butokuden and headed to
the Chō-no-ma for lunch.
'And what is it with the Gaijin Jack? I don't go around insulting them!'
'Ignore them, Jack,' said Akiko. 'They don't know any better.'
But they should, thought Jack. They're all supposed to be samurai.