‘Then we need a barricade,’ suggested Jack. He scored a line in the snow with his foot, marking the boundary of the village. ‘At this point.’

‘I can build one,’ offered Yuudai, ‘with the help of some farmers.’

‘Great!’ replied Jack, pleased the boy was so willing to volunteer. ‘Toge says the bandits have horses. So it’ll have to be high enough to stop them jumping over and strong enough to resist a charge.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Yuudai. ‘When I’ve finished, even a dragon couldn’t get past!’

‘Still, we won’t have much warning of an attack,’ Miyuki noted, eyeing the closeness of the valley ridge.

Jack recalled the Grandmaster’s Ring of Fire lesson. This element represented energy and motivation for a ninja and was closely aligned to weapon work. Its key influence was in kajutsu – the Art of Fire – which included explosives, gunpowder and the use of fire for diversion and destruction. But Jack had also learnt that it could be more subtle, acting as a ninja’s first line of defence.

Jack pointed to a nearby hill. ‘We need a smoke beacon up there, to give us advance warning.’

‘I’ll ask the villagers to make a woodpile,’ said Yori, ‘and organize a lookout rota.’

‘Thank you, Yori,’ said Jack, already feeling more confident in his role as leader.

‘But what if they attack from a different direction?’ questioned Saburo.

‘Good point. We should also build a watchtower in the square. That way we can keep an eye on all approaches to the village. I’ll take charge of that.’ He turned to Saburo. ‘So, looking through the eyes of the enemy, where’s our next weak point?’

Saburo’s brow crinkled in thought. ‘Probably the road from Okayama.’

The band of young samurai headed back into the village and down to the river, where the icy waters churned and flowed freely from the mountains.

‘This is easier to defend,’ said Hayato with relief, noting the opposite bank was some ten metres away and the river too deep for horses to ford it. ‘Akuma can’t cross here if we dismantle the bridge.’

‘No, we must keep it,’ said Miyuki.

They all looked at her, Hayato glaring with annoyance at being contradicted.

‘We leave it as a trap,’ she explained. ‘Like fish to a cat, the bandits will want to cross here. As they do, we blow it up!’

‘That’s dishonourable!’ said Hayato. ‘A samurai doesn’t fight like that.’

‘Do you think Akuma cares anything for honour?’ countered Miyuki.

Clenching his jaw, Hayato conceded, ‘Probably not. But what will you blow the bridge up with?’

‘Gunpowder.’

Hayato eyed Miyuki dubiously. ‘Do you have any?’

‘A little,’ she said, patting a small tube attached to her obi, along with various other pouches.

Hayato laughed. ‘That wouldn’t be enough for a firework!’