Chasing the Secret Read Online Free Page B

through me. I saw Mr. Choji standing tensely, his face a mask of carefully controlled fury.
    â€œOur friendship began during the days of my training here,” Uncle Hidehira went on, letting his hand rest on the scabbard of his sword. “Like many of you, I was once a student at the dojo. Indeed, Goku once told me that I was the best he had ever seen.” Uncle paused and looked out at the crowd, almost daring someone to challenge that statement. I had to keep my jaw firmly clenched—everyone knew that my father was the best. “In later years I outstripped his skills and found that I needed amore experienced teacher…but I never forgot Goku. And I’m sure you will never forget him either, although you all know it is time to move on.”
    Uncle Hidehira paused to let his meaning sink in.
    A sob echoed from near the back of the temple. Uncle Hidehira glared, and it was quickly stifled. “You must move on,” he said sharply. “It is time to go back to your studies. Train hard. Become warriors. Now that I have no son, I will need an heir from among the loyal samurai army that will help build my empire. Goku’s death has been an upset for you all, but it was time for a change at this school….”
    A stir rippled through the students. A few of the older students muttered under their breaths, and I knew they resented Uncle’s implication that their Master’s time had passed.
    â€œChange is coming,” Uncle Hidehira went on. “Both to this school and to the province. I need an army, and as I look at you now I see my future warriors…my generals…my battle-hungry men. You will train hard and be proud to use your skills in the service of your Jito .”
    As Uncle Hidehira finished his speech, I looked around to see some of the students, their faces alive with excitement. The idea of becoming the Jito ’s heir was surely filling them with purpose. There was a buzz in the air as everyone filed past Goku’s casket tobow his last respects. They all bowed to Uncle Hidehira, too, before exiting through the doorway at the side of the temple that led to the funeral pyre.
    As I watched them, I couldn’t help but despair. How could they be so taken in by Uncle’s words? They were so excited at the thought of using their skills that they couldn’t see that most of them were destined for a bloody death on Uncle’s battlefields.
    We followed the crowd outside to the wide gravel courtyard behind the temple. I caught a glimpse of stone carvings, tall pine trees shading part of the hillside, and a bronze statue of the Buddha gleaming in the sunshine.
    Even though I had attended my grandmother’s funeral many moons ago and knew what to expect, my stomach still tightened when I saw the flaming pyre that had been built in the center of the courtyard.
    There were several large stones, all about the same height and spaced out carefully to support a casket. Between them, the priests had layered dry timber, which was flickering fiercely in the breeze. The monks brought Goku’s casket and placed it onto the broad stones and into the flames.
    Sparks flew, some of them spiraling up toward the sky. Silence fell over the assembled crowd. Then, one of the monks rang a tinkling bell and began tochant. Soon the others joined in, their voices blending into a gentle melody.
    As the fire began to consume the casket, grief rose up through me. So many people I had loved were gone. My father, my brothers, and now Master Goku…
    Tears welled up and I tried to blink them away, wanting to control my grief. But it was no good. The tears fell, hot against my skin.
    I felt Hana move closer to me, and I reached sideways to touch her fingers with mine. Around us, the chanting of the monks rose and fell.
    Above us, the sun climbed higher in the sky, beating down on our heads. An incredible heat filled the courtyard as the pyre became a furnace. The air seemed to ripple