Shadow Warrior: Based on the true story of a fearless ninja and her network of female spies
She glimpsed her instructor on the cliff’s edge above watching her silently The other students all boys clustered nearby Most had already completed this particular challenge She forced herself to take long slow tried to clear her mind ignoring the boys and focusing only on the rhythm of her breath and the cold wind on her face For just a whisper of time the fear seemed to float away from her body before she heard Sensei speak Bring her up breaths as their voices drifted down to her Once again Chiyome began to shiver She’ll give up soon Maybe But you know who her great-grandfather was right Who Mochizuki Izumo-no-kami A murmur ran through the group at the sound of his name He’d been one of Kōga’s best fighters Chiyome felt her legs trembling Be pa tient Conquer fear she repeated to herself She remembered Sensei’s lessons about practicing zanshin calm awareness She Her partner gripped her legs tighter as another boy reached down for her hand and together they hauled her up over the edge the rough granite scraping her elbows and knees She sprawled on the ground gasping for air and glanced at her partner He looked as shaken as she felt Then she forced herself upright and bowed to Sensei who nodded his approval Next Sensei called and a boy to her right stepped unsteadily forward 7
Chiyome leaned against a tree trunk Another ninja test and she had survived Not only survived but gained a rare nod from her teacher Though she kept her face carefully smooth she was beaming inside Once her great-grandfather had helped establish Kōga’s ninja traditions Now Chiyome would carry on his legacy She’d serve as one of the guards and lookouts who ranged through the nearby mountains protecting the local villages Or she’d seek her fortune working for a faraway daimyo First she needed to learn everything Sensei could teach how to scale castle walls how to make waterproof torches and how to count the sleeping bodies in a darkened room She’d practice disguising herself in the light and listening from the shadows Today’s tests had just begun As the last boy pulled his partner up over the edge Sensei ordered them all to their feet They’d be hiking down the mountain he explained and practicing their rock climbing once they reached the bottom Chiyome hurried after him along the ridge ignoring the drops on either side and refusing to think of the challenge still to come Zanshin Be patient Conquer fear 8
