That ninja yelled something in Japanese and threw his weapon to the ground in disgust.
Jamie dodged to the side as the ninja who had attacked his head attempted a downward swipe of his blade. Jamie's own weapon swept in an upward arc, leaving the ink on the warrior's face.
He had one opponent left. And he could now tell that it was Tang. The two of them circled each other warily. The green ink on the blade of Tang's sword glinted in the evening light.
And then he was striking, pressing forward viciously. Jamie could do nothing but block the attacks, each strike of metal on metal rattling his teeth. Whatever the reason for this test, it was obvious Tang did not want him to pass it.
In desperation, Jamie used the split toe of his right boot to catch some of the dirt of the field. As he blocked an attack, he lashed upward with that foot, kicking Tang in the face and releasing a cloud of dust that caught the ninja off guard.
Jamie swatted the green inked blade away from its wielder. Then his own yellow mark was on the stomach of Tang's vest.
The ninja glared at Jamie with barely controlled rage.
"He has beaten you, Tang," called one of the elders from the dugout. "Let him pass."
Obviously using every ounce of self-control he had, Tang moved to the side and Jamie walked the remaining ten feet to the dugout and dropped inside.
The elders examined him. "There is not a green mark on him," one of them said in awe.
Tanemura stepped forward and bowed to his student, who returned the act of respect. "You have done well, my pupil."
"Thank you, sensei." Jamie risked a glance at Tang, who had removed his mask, his hate-filled face now regarding the teen coldly.
"You were obviously not exaggerating, Tanemura," commented Tatsu. "He is quite skilled."
Jamie blushed at the attention as he removed the goggles and his mask. "I was lucky."
Tanemura shook his head. "None of the ninja who tested you today wanted you to complete this test. They fought with every ounce of misguided disdain for you that they have." He smiled. "You have surpassed my every expectation."
Another elder, this one a woman, came forward with a wooden box. Tanemura opened it and produced a necklace with a small sparrow pendent dangling from the silver chain. "Jamie Raleigh," he said as he placed the chain over his student's head, letting it fall into place around his neck, "it is with great honor and pride that I admit you as a chunin to the Funakoshi ninja clan."
Jamie's eyes shot up at his sensei. Had he heard correctly? "What?!"
"You are now a ninja," commented Tatsu.
Jamie's eyes moved back and forth between the two older ninja in confusion. "But, I . . . I . . . I'm only fourteen!"
"And already as skilled as many of our adults," said Tanemura, looking around to regard the ninja Jamie had defeated to get to the dugout.
"But remember, young ninja," cautioned Tatsu, his face softer than before, "your training will never be 'complete.' Everything that you do in life will be a learning experience. Just as helping your sensei to complete Yoshika's training will be."
A gentle brush of a hand on Jamie's shoulder brought Jamie's attention to Yoshi, who smiled up at him and embraced him. He gladly hugged her back as she whispered in his ear, "You are my champion.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
November 18, 1991
Sunday, 5:35 AM
Jamie awoke to gentle hands shaking him. He opened his eyes to find Buster and Yoshi standing over him. All the members of Adventure were present, along with George, Steve, Max, Jeremy and Leslie. Jeremy could never sleep past dawn, so they had used him as an alarm clock this morning.
“Nice pillow,” commented Buster with a smile, gesturing to the open Bible on the table in front of him. Jamie had read everything on the page with the outlined verse before dozing off.
His dreams had taken him back to the day that his skill, when fighting the Warui ninja who had killed Yoshi’s parents, had prompted the Funakoshi to test him early. He would have much rather had Mai and Kuji safe and alive with Yoshi than to be a fourteen-year-old ninja.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes, fighting back the emotion of that time in his life. He looked out the window to see it was still dark. The clock read 5:35. He’d gotten less than three hours of sleep--bent over a lab table--but he felt surprisingly refreshed.
“We’re all ready, dude,” said Dave.
Jamie gave him an irritated glance. “What do you mean by ‘we’re all?’”
“We’re ready to fight with you,” stated Pete.
“Hold on,” snapped their leader. “They only want Yoshi and me.”
“That is what I have been trying to tell them,” stated Yoshi. “But they are ever so stubborn.”
Buster’s face was a mask of determination. “We started this together. By the Grace of God, let’s finish it together.”
Jamie looked at the young preacher and thought back two nights, to the prayer his friend had offered. He had called them a family. And he was right. They all cared very deeply for one another and had put their lives on the line for each other. If anything, this weekend had served to strengthen that bond.
“And what about our new members?” asked Jamie.
Max piped up. “You mean it? We’re in Adventure?”
“Dude,” bellowed Dave, “you were a member after you beat the dog-meat outta yer first ninja.”
Jamie thought for a moment. “Okay, Steve and Leslie will wake the students and get them to the elementary gym down the hill.” At a curious glance from Dave, he explained, “That gym only has one exit. It’ll be easier to defend. They will stay there to guard the students.
“The rest of us will fan out on the school grounds in pairs. Max goes with Pete, Yoshi takes George, Buster gets Jeremy, and Dave and I’ll pair off.” He looked out the window. Day was beginning to push back the darkness. “We’ll regroup at the front steps to this building at 6:30 am.”
Buster led a prayer, then the groups began filing out of the room. Jamie grabbed his ninja-to, still in its scabbard, from the front lab table.
Suddenly, a high-pitched ringing sounded through the halls. Jamie ran out of the room to find Steve and Leslie standing next to the fire alarm. “You said to wake the students,” explained Leslie with a grin. “You didn’t say how.”
* * *
Donnie and Tanemura were escorted into a tent. Though the sun was starting to rise, the thick cloud cover that blanketed the sky prevented it from giving much light. And even if the sun were shining on this cold, November morning, the ugly, green canvas that made up the walls and ceiling would have blocked it. The only light sources in their little jail were a small heater and some lanterns that looked as if they could run out of fuel at any time.
Bound to a chair in the center of the tent was a large, bearded man that Don didn’t recognize. He wore a checkered skirt and the heater stood in front of him.
“I’m telling you,” Dave’s dad cried in supreme irritation, “I’m with the Dunklin County Police Academy! We were just fighting the blasted ninja!”
The soldiers ignored them as they seated the new prisoners in chairs on either side of the large man handcuffing their hands behind the backs of the chairs. After they had gone, Donnie asked Tanemura, “What do you suppose they did with the ninja we didn’t kill?”
Tanemura shook his head. “One of them mentioned that they were to bring the prisoners who could speak English—us, as it were—to a separate tent. I am not sure where they put the others.” The old ninja looked at the incumbent prisoner, who was hunched over, snoring.
“Deck,” whispered the old ninja.
“You know this guy?” inquired Donnie.
“He is Jamie and Yoshi’s friend,” was the response. “He crafted their ninja-tos.”
“Why’s he wearing a dress?”
Tanemura chuckled. “It is not a dress. It is a kilt.”
&
nbsp; Deck awoke with a start. “Wh . . . what?” he groaned in confusion. He turned his head and his eyes widened in recognition as they settled on Tanemura. “Hey! What’re you doin’ here?”
“I might ask you the same question,” returned the jonin.
Deck’s face darkened. “I was on my motorcycle and headin' to the dance. I almost got to the Current River bridge when it blew up. I saw some ninja and went back fer my sword an’ gun. Since the bridge was gone, I swam across at the most shallow part I could find. The good thing is no ninja jumped outta the water to attack me. The bad thing is the army caught me when I got across.”
Don looked at Deck in astonishment. “You swam across a Missouri river . . . in the middle of November?”
Deck looked at the other man and replied, “Yeah. So?”
As Dave’s father shook his head in disbelief, Tanemura gave introductions. “Deck, this is Donnie Isaac, Jamie’s uncle. Donnie, this is Deck Pendragon, the greatest weapon-smith in southern Missouri.”
“Probably the only weapon-smith in southern Missouri,” corrected Deck.
“True,” chuckled Tanemura.
“How can you be so calm?” demanded Donnie. “My son and nephew are in that school, along with your great-niece and their friends. And we’ve been arrested by the army that’s supposed to be trying to get them out!”
“Faith, Donnie,” returned Tanemura.
* * *
Jamie asked Dave for the time. “Six twenty-seven, dude.” They were standing at the front steps, waiting for the other groups to join them. The two of them had seen no sign of the Warui ninja.
As Jamie saw the other groups approaching, a low rumbling sound caught his attention. The sound, which sounded to him like a very loud car that had thrown a rod, grew louder as it approached the school. Now, more familiar sounds joined it. “What is that?” he asked Dave.
“First one sounds like a helicopter,” replied the big teen. “And ground vehicles.”
As the teams met at the front steps, the first sound reached a deafening pitch as a large, military-style helicopter flew over the high school and across the gravel parking lot, landing on the elementary playground, which was parallel to their building on the eastern side about fifty yards from the front doors of the high school.
As this happened, five black vans drove up the south road, which ran perpendicular to the schoolyard and the playground. They pulled into the parking lot and stopped.
The members of Adventure watched in horrified fascination as black-clad warriors began filing out of the vehicles and gathering on the playground. After a quick count, Buster proclaimed, “Fifty-two.”
Dave gaped. “Dude, even I think this is a bit much.”
Without a word, Jeremy grabbed an arrow from his quiver and shot it at the ninja army. It struck one of them in the chest and he dropped. “Fifty-one,” stated the Robin Hood fan.
From the helicopter, a man stepped onto the damp grass as lightning lit the sky and a peal of thunder roared through the small town. He had an air of authority about him that the adolescents couldn’t miss.
“Who is that?” inquired Buster.
“It is the Warui jonin,” responded Yoshi in fearful awe.
Jeremy shot another arrow and took another ninja down. “Fifty,” he said. At sharp glances from Jamie and Buster, he asked defensively, “What? Nobody else is doing anything.” He pulled another arrow, aimed it and fired at the Warui leader. The jonin caught the arrow and snapped it in two.
Jeremy’s mouth fell open. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that.”
The leader of the Warui raised his arm to point in the direction of the teens, yelling something in Japanese. Half of the fifty ninja broke away from the rest and charged toward the school.
“I don’t think we need Yoshi to translate that one!” cried Pete.
“Fall back into the school!” ordered Jamie.
They ran through the front doors, pulling them closed. Yoshi quickly locked the doors.
“I’ve got an idea!” announced Jeremy. “Up the stairs!”
Pete looked at him in disbelief. “What are you . . . nuts?!”
“We’ll be trapped up there,” said Max.
The Robin Hood fan looked back and forth between Jamie and Yoshi as the first of the ninja arrived and tried to open the locked doors. “Please tell me that one of you has a rope hidden in your suit.”
Yoshi replied, “I do.”
“Then we won’t be trapped!” He lunged up the stairs.
The Warui ninja were starting to cut the thick glass in each of the large windows on either side of the doors. The rest of Adventure followed the Robin Hood fan.
* * *
Obata, the jonin of the Waruiyatsu ninja, watched with contempt as the two Funakoshi chunin fell back into the school with their friends. “Run cowards!” he hissed.
Kenshin, a dragon pendant showing his rank as an attack party leader, stepped forward. “Master,” he began, “what if the genin kill the gai-jin?”
“Then we will cheer,” was the response, as if it were obvious.
“But Master! Raleigh shamed me during the mission to kill Kuji and Mai Funakoshi! He is supposed to be for me!”
Obata glared at the warrior. “Our victory is more important than your foolish pride!”
* * *
The elementary gym was about half the size of the high school gym, which made the fact that everyone was avoiding John, Freddy and their friends that much more amusing. Steve watched the far side of the gym, where the captain of the basketball team and his sidekicks were sitting by themselves. The rest of the students were crowded on the opposite side. John and his cronies had started to move to the crowded side but, after many colorful insults and death threats, they decided to remain where they were.
Leslie was trying to keep Steve’s attention on a card game they were playing. Everyone was trying to stay in good spirits, though the two members of Adventure wished they could see what was happening to their friends.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sunday, 6:40 AM
The tent flap opened and a man with the stripes of a colonel entered, followed by two corporals. “Your story checks out,” grumbled the colonel, staring at Don. He looked at the two men who had entered with him. “Uncuff’im.”
They freed the police teacher, but left the other two in place. “What brings a police academy instructor into an evacuated town?” inquired the commanding officer. “And why were you with one of those ninjas?”
“My son’s in the school,” replied Donnie, as he rubbed his wrists. “And Tanemura’s one of the enemies mentioned on the scroll from Friday night.”
“Really?” asked the colonel. “The translator in Jefferson City said there was supposed to be three enemies.”
“That would be my great-niece, Yoshika,” explained Tanemura, “and my pupil, Jamie Raleigh.”
“Jamie’s my nephew,” said Donnie. “My son and some friends went in with the boy and Yoshi to try and free the students.”
“Hey, Peters,” rumbled Deck, “if Isaac here vouches for us, can ya let us loose, too?”
Peters motioned for the soldiers to free Deck and Tanemura. Still regarding Don thoughtfully, he asked, “How old is your son?”
“Sixteen,” was the response.
“What?! A bunch of kids went in there to fight those ninjas?”
The three former prisoners exchanged glances. “Let’s just say they can all take care of themselves,” assured Donnie.
* * *
The teens burst into the Home Economics room and slammed the door, locking it. It was the biggest classroom in the school; taking up a third of the top floor. Half of the room was a kitchen with six double-sided sinks, six stoves, two clothes washer-dryer combos and a refrigerator.
Max’s voice echoed through the room. “What’re we doing here?”
Jeremy ran to the back window, which looked out over the
hill on the western side of the building, and opened it. “Give me your rope,” he said to Yoshi. After she had handed it over, he secured one end of it to a sewing table that was bolted to the floor. He then threw the other end out the window.
“Everybody climb down,” he instructed. “I’ll follow in a minute.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Jamie suspiciously.
“I’m not going to valiantly give my life, or anything,” chuckled Jeremy. “You need to trust me on that.”
“I hate it when people feel the need to tell me to trust them,” muttered the young ninja.
The teens went down the rope, one at a time, until only Jeremy remained. Running into the kitchen, he lifted the top of the first stove and carefully extinguished the pilot lights. After closing it, he turned on all four burners. He followed suit with the other ranges.
Next, he pulled his shirt collar up to cover his mouth and nose as he ran toward the door, fishing a roll of duct tape, a whetstone and a box of matches out of some of the many pockets that lined his coat . . ..
* * *
Jeremy slid down the rope and landed among his friends at the base of the hill.
“What did you do?” demanded Yoshi.
Noting that all eyes were upon him, he replied, “I slowed them.”
“How?” asked Max.
“You’ll see.”
Buster looked at Jamie. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” he asked.
“Probably for the same reason that I do,” was Jamie’s response.
“Guys!” exclaimed Pete, who’d slipped around the southern side of the building to observe the ninja warriors who remained outside. “The others have split up and look like they’re going to come around from both sides!”
“Make a circle,” ordered Jamie. “Don’t let them get behind anyone.” They formed a circle and moved around the southern side of the building . . ..
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sunday, 6:52 AM
“Why haven’t you moved on the school?” demanded Donnie.
“I don’t have you under arrest anymore,” returned Peters, “but I don’t have to take a lecture on military ethics from a police teacher.”
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