Nichi just grunted.

  On the veranda that was acting as a stage, Naga rose. “Before I pronounce judgment on this case, I need to pass judgment on another.” Then taking out his fan he pointed at the yoriki Denjiro. “Denjiro, you are banished from the police force and from Edo. Take your doshin with you. But, before you go, place your jutte on the ground at your feet.”

  Several people in the crowd gasped. Others started clapping. Naga froze them with a stare.

  “You cannot do that. I have a hereditary appointment. You do not have the authority,” said Denjiro, the former yoriki.

  “Maybe so, maybe not! Therefore, I will broach the subject from a different direction. Yagyu Jubei?” Naga called out.

  Yagyu Jubei stepped forward. “Yes, Lord.” Jubei answered from the front row.

  “I believe you are familiar with Denjiro the former yoriki and his henchman,” Naga said.

  Jubei eyed both with pure hate.

  “Oh yes, Lord.”

  “And how do you know them?” Naga asked.

  “They tricked me into being arrested and then proceeded to beat me within an inch of my life,” Jubei replied.

  Denjiro and his doshin both involuntarily took a step back under the gaze of the one-eyed samurai.

  “Jubei, you have my permission … no, let us be more specific. It is your responsibility as a samurai if you ever see either of these two again in Edo to separate their heads from their bodies,” Naga said.

  “Excellent!” Jubei replied as he took a step towards the two.

  Both men threw down their juttes, turned, and fled back through the crowd.

  Laughter started in the front of the crowd and made its way to the back. When it had ceased, Naga turned to Yashino on the litter.

  “Yashino, this court can find no wrong in you. You are a victim in this. You are free to go.” Then Naga rose and in a loud voice proclaimed, “Ikkin lachaku, one case completed.”

  A cheer went up in the crowd. The gray-haired mother of Yashino was crying and hugging her daughter. Naga smiled, then turned and moved into the building.

  In an adjoining room, Yuki found she had a tear forming. She wiped it with her sleeve and then felt a presence near. “Hello Yagyu-sama,” she said.

  “Hello Yuki,” Yagyu Muneori said. “Quite a man you have let into your life.”

  “Yes,” she said. “He surprises me each day.”

  “Well, he surprised your father when he asked for you in marriage,” the elder Yagyu said.

  “And what was my father’s reply,” she asked.

  “He told Naga he had permission, but that he’d be wise to obtain yours.” Yagyu Muneori said.

  “He obtained that the evening we met with the Five Families,” she said. “Isn’t it interesting that I’ve always been afraid of an arranged marriage that I would hate. Yet here I am marrying the man I love,” she said.

  “I am happy that you are happy child,” the elder said.

  “He would make a fine shogun, would he not, Yagyu-sama?” she asked.

  “He would make a finer shogun than we deserve,” the elder replied. “But I doubt he will get the chance.”

  “Why Yagyu-sama, surely he is the best choice … ?”

  “I have no doubt of that Yuki. After what I witnessed here today, I am even more convinced of his qualities. However, today’s actions will send his enemies into panic. They have sold him short until today. You stay close by his side, Yuki. They will move on him and his house soon,” Yagyu Muneori said.

  Yuki bowed. “Thank you for your wise council, Chamberlain. I will protect him with my life,” she said as they rose to join Naga.

  Chapter 20: Assassins

  “I was proud of you today, Naga,” Jii beamed.

  “I think all of Edo was proud of you,” added Hideki.

  “You were magnificent,” Yuki said.

  “We did what needed to be done,” Naga replied. “I thank each of you. I could not have done this without your help.”

  The Yoshinobu were moving back to their mansion. They were in the part of town known as Nihonbashi. The Yoshinobu had learned the best way for wealthy men to get around in Edo was by boat in the network of canals that cut through the city. They were almost at the point where the dirt road ended at the makeshift docks. There, shallow-draft craft of all sizes awaited their human cargo. Boats could accommodate a single passenger or a squad of samurai. Some had a roof and walls and came equipped with sake, lanterns, pillows, and enterprising courtesans to make the journey as comfortable as possible.

  The Yoshinobu entourage was slowing down as they approached the boats. The guard commander sent a samurai forward to negotiate a price as he deployed the remaining nine guards around a larger open area where street met water. The docks were a normally bustling place; this evening, no one was about.

  Yoshi looked at Musashi beside him. “We are not alone,” he said.

  Musashi placed his right hand on his sword hilt. Jubei saw the motion and did the same. Yuki noticed the men’s posture and moved to Naga’s side.

  “We may be in danger,” she said to Naga and Jii. Hideki overheard and started scanning the surroundings but saw no signs of obvious danger. The row houses had given way to large warehouses and mercantile stores which had been closed at the end of the day. The sun was setting in the west. Long shadows cast by the buildings across the street engulfed most of the road. Handcarts and beached shallow-bottomed boats lined the streets. Here, both sides of the road consisted of two-story warehouses. The street at this location ran north and south. On the west side of the road toward the setting sun, the warehouses were storage areas for rice and other dry goods. The buildings were empty. Workers were already on their way home.

  On the east side of the street, several warehouses, each two and three stories in height, looked like farmers’ barns with all manner of baskets, straw hats, straw raincoats, pulleys, ropes, and boat paraphernalia festooning the rough plank walls. The building closest to the Yoshinobu on the east side had a porch that extended about twelve shaku, about fourteen feet, into the street. The porch, supported by substantial pillars between the overhead and the elevated plank sidewalk, had a ceiling. It looked like a good place to wait out summer downpours.

  Hideki glanced at Yoshi for location of the threat. Yoshi retrieved a straight ninja sword from inside his jacket. Hideki unsheathed his sword. Musashi, Jubei, Yuki, Jii and all nine of the Yoshinobu guards followed suit. No one knew the origin of the threat, but the Yoshinobu guards had learned to heed Yoshi’s unusual skill in discerning danger.

  Three of the nine guards had taken position around a flat-bottomed boat turned upside down on the damp earth just above the waterline by the dock. The head boatman usually occupied this location, taking fares and assigning boats. While they were searching for someone to assign boats, the boat under them exploded. All three Yoshinobu guards flew into the air and toward the street. A single shaved head of one of the guards rolled to a stop at Hideki’s feet. Hideki recognized it. It was all that was left of Aoki.

  Everyone turned toward the explosion. Everyone turned except Yoshi. As soon as he had seen the flash out of the corner of his eye, he had turned away and scanned the roofs on the opposite side of the street. It was where the next threat would come. Yoshi shifted his sword to his left hand and moved his right hand into his jacket. Two gray clad ninja wearing Fox masks appeared on top of the building across the street. They were holding fully extended bows charged with arrows and seeking targets among the Yoshinobu. One took aim in Naga’s direction but an iron-throwing dart penetrated his left eye and fouled his aim. Yoshi did not wait to admire his handy work. He was too busy throwing a second dart at the next bowman. The second ninja saw the dart and deflected it with his bow. He did not deflect the throwing knife Musashi pulled from his scabbard and threw full force into his throat. By this time Jubei had a throwing knife in his hand and Yuki had produced a shuriken from somewhere in her jacket.

  In all moments of crisis, eyes turn to the leader. Everyone looked at Jii. Jii felt their eyes upon him and knew the next few minutes would be crucial for the survival of the Yoshinobu. He willed himself out of his inaction and pointed to the boats on the dock. He was about to give the order to embark when Yoshi’s voice drowned him out.

  “No,” Yoshi barked.

  Jii froze and looked at Yoshi in exasperation.

  “We must do something,” Jii shouted.

  However, Yoshi was not there anymore. He was racing toward the raised porch on the same side of the street as the explosion. He kicked over baskets, turned over small boats, tore down raincoats and pulled straw hats off the wall.

  Satisfied there were no more bombs, he turned to Jii. “Get everyone on the porch, Lord,” Yoshi said. “Drag the boats onto the porch to deflect against arrows and firearms. Do it quickly. The arrows will be followed by infantry.”

  “Do what he says,” Jii commanded. “Yuki, get Naga up against the building on the porch.”

  As the Yoshinobu retreated to the porch, the remaining six guards dragged flat-bottom boats up onto the porch to use as cover. Yoshi picked up several of the large straw hats and tossed them to Musashi, Jubei, and Hideki. “Use them as shields against the arrows.”

  Hideki nodded his understanding and slipped his left arm through the cloth loops that normally held the wearer’s hat to his head. Musashi, Jubei, Hideki, and Yoshi did not move to the porch. They remained at road level in front of the porch. Whatever came would come to them first.

  What came was a volley of arrows. The first flight consisted of almost thirty. They peppered the porch sinking into the posts, the upturned boats, and the hasty shields donned by Hideki and his friends. Hideki checked himself and was surprised to find two arrows had penetrated his hakama on either side of his knees, but had not punctured his flesh. Everyone with a makeshift shield had arrows stuck in the straw.

  Jubei noticed Hideki’s arrow festooned trousers. “Cherry blossoms?” Jubei asked, winking at Yoshi.

  “Cherry blossoms!” Yoshi replied.

  Hideki was in the center of the four warriors. To his immediate left, Yoshi stood. Musashi stood to Yoshi’s left. To Hideki’s right stood Jubei. Hideki glanced at each man. Musashi was a rock. No emotion played on his face. Yoshi seemed deeply engrossed in hearing and feeling every movement about him. Jubei was smiling. It was disturbing to see. His eye patch set off his wide grin and gleaming teeth. He looked like a tengu or forest goblin waiting to devour something or someone. Hideki shivered. Jubei was intimidating at the best of times. At this moment, he looked terrifying.

  “There will be smoke and darts,” Yoshi warned. “Stay behind the boats and protect the Lord.”

  “Darts?” Musashi questioned. “We haven’t seen that before.”

  “They will be coming for a quick kill. Despite the hour, there may be traffic here. They cannot afford to take too much time with us. They will try their standoff weapons first. Arrows didn’t work, so the infantry will come and most likely be hidden in smoke and a hail of darts.”

  “I hate darts,” Jubei said. “I will kill more of the bastards for using darts.”

  “Is this how you feel before combat?” Naga asked Yuki.

  “How do you feel?” She asked.

  “It is hard to describe,” he said. “I am frightened, yet anxious to see how I shall do.”

  “I have been in several fights, Naga, but I’m a woman trained as a ninja. I can only tell you what I know. Fear is normal. Anyone who is not afraid in combat is a person to avoid. He is a fool.”

  “Listen to her Naga,” Jii said. “She is correct.”

  “But look at those four out there. They are like heroes. Even my little brother seems as calm as can be,” Naga said.

  Yuki smiled “Yes, sweet Hideki has certainly grown up fast. However, he has been in several skirmishes and has trained at the hands of two of the best swordsmen of our age. I would say those four are as deadly a team as you are ever likely to encounter. Besides, they may be calm on the outside, but we have no idea what is going through their minds.”

  “I don’t believe anything is going through their mind, right now,” Jii said. “Unless I miss my guess, each is in mushin.”

  “No mind?” Naga asked.

  “Yes. I think Musashi can enter into it any time he wants. Your little brother has learned from him. Jubei may find it more difficult to attain. His desire for revenge may be clouding his ability to focus.”

  “For what is he seeking revenge?” Naga asked.

  “Life itself I imagine. Jubei is estranged from his father for some reason. He may be mad at the world.”

  “It is not polite to talk behind our backs,” Hideki called over his shoulder.

  “We apologize, brother,” Naga responded. “But you don’t often see four champions banded together in a just cause. We were all marveling at your courage.”

  “Well, do not marvel too long; if this gets scary out here, I may let them pass and get to you. It would be payback for all the times you bested me in a dojo,” Hideki called. “Besides, you stole my first love.”

  “You can have her back. Ever since I proposed she has been very demanding,” Naga called.

  His remark earned him an elbow in the ribs. “Oui,” he cried.

  The guards laughed at his discomfort. Hideki turned to Yoshi. “Where the hell is Myo when you need her?”

  “Good question. Probably off looking for the Fox Gang,” Yoshi said.

  “Yoshi?” Jii called. “Why did we not get into the boats?”

  “Half the slips were empty. Either there are many travelers on the canals tonight or we were being driven to the obvious escape by boat. They could have rigged our escape boats with explosives. Or, the other half of the boats are on the water already, waiting in ambush,” Yoshi explained. “It is very difficult to flee on the water.”

  “Smart!” Jii said.

  “Besides, the land favors us. Once I was assured there were no explosives on the porch, it afforded us protection from above and behind.”

  “Excellent,” Jii said. There were nods of approval from the samurai behind the boats.

  When they came, they came with smoke and explosives. Fox-faced ninja poured around the corners of both the building with the porch and the warehouse across the street. The ninja in front threw gunpowder balls made of papier-mâché mixed with sulfur and mercury. They exploded on contact and blew dirt three stories into the evening air. Hideki had one explode directly in front of him. The concussion blew him off his feet and back into the flat-bottomed boat turned on its side on the porch. He hit with a thud and saw stars as his head smacked against the wooden bottom. His hair tied high behind his head provided some measure of padding so that he did not blackout. By the time he was on his feet again and trying to clear his vision, his three companions in front were fighting on three sides and about to be penetrated in the center.

  Smoke followed the explosive balls. A thick fog covered the Yoshinobu defenses. Hideki could just barely make out his three companions. His brain told him he must plug the hole in their ranks that the explosion had created. However, he was having trouble getting his limbs to follow commands. He saw Yoshi reach into his jacket and throw a handful of caltrops in front of the charging ninja just forward of Hideki’s old position. The smoke worked against the ninja discovering the barbs until it was too late. Four of the fifteen in the assaulting wave of ninja stepped on the wicked contraptions. They screamed and fell to the ground holding their feet.

  The respite allowed Hideki to clear his head and regain his faculties. He stepped forward and assumed his original position with drawn sword.

  “Welcome back,” Yoshi said.

  “What do you call those things?” Hideki asked.

  “Tetsu-bishi,” Yoshi said. “We usually use them when we’re being pursued, but it seemed like a good idea with you abandoning your post.”

  “It wasn’t by choice,” Hideki said stepping back online with Yoshi on the left and Jubei on the right.

  Hideki noticed that both Jubei and Musashi had angled in to meet the threat coming from the sides of the porched building at their back. They were going to have to fight in two directions. Hideki had little time to think as a second wave moved toward him. This batch was mindful of the caltrops and traveled much more slowly.

  The first fox-faced, brown-clad ninja approached Hideki steadily with a shorter straight ninja sword aimed at Hideki’s eyes. Hideki’s three companions were already engaged in swordplay with at least two brown-clad ninja apiece.

  The ninja in front of him lunged at Hideki and let out a loud war cry. Hideki was in the left-front-foot-forward kamai. His blade tip pointed at his opponent’s midsection. When the ninja lunged, he thought he was going to take advantage of Hideki’s beginner mistake of having the sword tip low. Hideki remembered Musashi’s words when he taught him the technique: “The smacking parry is carried out when you are up against an enemy and you absorbed his attacking cut with your long sword with the tee-dumb, tee-dumb rhythm, while slapping at his sword, and cutting him.”

  Hideki had practiced it so many times with Musashi he didn’t have to think about it. As soon as he had sensed the lunge, Hideki’s sword tip came up and arced outward, smacking into his opponent’s blade just enough to move the attacking tip away from Hideki’s face. Hideki’s redirection of his own blade tip forward was immediate. The ninja’s momentum was already committed and has trajectory had not been blocked but redirected slightly. He impaled himself on Hideki’s sword. He let out a whimper and tried to bring his sword back into play. Hideki pulled his sword from the ninja’s chest, raised it and sliced from sky to ground, cutting a large gash from neck to sternum. The ninja cried out and fell. He attempted to get to his knees using his sword for support, but crumpled a last time and bled out into the dirt street.

  Hideki did not have time to analyze his kill. There was another ninja in front of him with a raised sword. As his enemy brought it down, Hideki lunged forward under the arc, dragging his katana with him and slicing through the ninja’s diaphragm. Blood and intestines dropped onto the dirt at Hideki’s feet. The instant stench was almost overpowering. The ninja crumpled in a sickening heap. Hideki had just stepped back into a neutral stance when he noticed Yoshi defending against two Fox men.