Chastened, Saburo became ashamed at his insensitive comment, but Hayato glared at Miyuki for having the audacity as a ninja to criticize a samurai. He barely managed to keep his hostility in check.

Jack thought he may have to step in again. He’d explained about his relationship to Miyuki and tried to convince Hayato that the ninja were misrepresented as a whole. Hayato had acknowledged that Jack as a foreigner might be able to bridge the gap, but that he would never trust a ninja. This suited Miyuki just fine, since she wouldn’t ever trust a samurai. Thankfully, Yori managed to negotiate a truce between Hayato and Miyuki – the differences of the samurai and the ninja were to be set aside for the common goal of defeating Akuma.

But Jack realized this was a fragile alliance.

‘Tamagashi may not be much to look at,’ he said, ushering the two of them over the mill’s rickety bridge. ‘But I can assure you its people deserve defending.’

They followed the farmers along the muddy track and into the square. As they passed the ramshackle homes, the villagers came out to greet them. But upon seeing the tender age of their saviours, they could only gawp in disbelief.

‘Not much of a welcome!’ remarked Hayato.

‘They’re probably just nervous,’ suggested Yori, although he too sensed the growing awkwardness of their arrival.

Entering the square, they made for the main farmhouse where Junichi was waiting on the veranda. He bowed low at their approach, keeping his eyes respectfully to the ground.

‘As the head of this village, I welcome you and offer our undying gratitude for helping us in our hour of need. Please consider Tamagashi your home –’

Standing up, Junichi took a double take and became lost for words. He stared aghast at the four young samurai, one tiny monk and the lone ninja before him.

Jack and his recruits bowed back, all made uneasy by Junichi’s horrified expression.

‘What’s the meaning of this, Toge?’ demanded Junichi, out of the corner of his mouth.

Toge stared blankly back, while Sora piped up in their defence, ‘We couldn’t get any more samurai.’

‘That’s not what I mean,’ hissed Junichi. ‘You’ve hired children to do men’s work!’

‘They’re the best we could do,’ replied Toge grimly.

An air of desperate disappointment consumed the villagers gathering in the square.

‘We might as well give up now!’ shouted a farmer to Junichi.

‘Akuma will slaughter them,’ cried an old woman, her face pitying the young warriors.

‘Where are the real samurai?’ shouted another man.

The calls of outrage, frustration and despair grew louder and Junichi’s pleas for calm went unheeded. The farmhouse door opened and Yoshi the elder came tottering out. He thumped the wooden veranda with his walking-stick and fixed the villagers with a furious glare.