Etienne sat up in panic and placed a hand over his chest. His rapid breathing did not cease for several seconds until he forced his body to slow it down.
"You're looking a little better, Ikerushikabane," Hattori Masanari stood in the doorway of the small straw hut, "What would you say to taking a tour around our little village?"
Etienne sat up in his makeshift bed and looked up at him, "That sounds alright to me. But that name you're calling me…it's a bit long, isn't it? Are you really going to call me that all day every day?"
Hattori rubbed his goatee, "I suppose you're right. During your entire stay and training with us, we will call you Ike-kun. That's a lot easier for us to say than Eti…Etien…"
Etienne rolled his eyes, "It's Etienne. It's not that hard."
Hattori smiled, "Like I said, it's Ike-kun now. Once you start learning some Japanese and getting to know the other villagers, don't use your original name."
Etienne nodded his head and stood up slowly. His body ached with pain still, despite all bruising and cuts being fully healed.
"I know you said you've had foreign visitors before, but are you sure your people will be okay with a foreigner living among them and joining their ranks?"
Hattori shook his head, "Don't worry about trivial things like that," He stepped out of the doorway and out into the village.
Etienne hurriedly folllowed behind him.
Exiting the straw shack, they stepped onto a beautiful ornate and precisely cut stone path. The path ran parallel to a small, calm lake and a lush, deep green forest. Trees stood tall and proud, and neatly trimmed bushes sat under them.
As they followed the stone path, they passed a octagonal gazebo with a giant stone slab in the middle of it. Bushes lined the gazebo, making it stand out more. Etienne looked at the stone slab and noticed kanji painted onto it with red paint.
"What does that say?" Etienne inquired.
Hattori smiled, "It says, 'Welcome to Ukiyo, the home of the Iga Clan ninja.' We don't get many guests, the sign is to deter our enemies."
"Rival ninja clans?"
Hattori nodded, "You'd be surprised. We've been in this place, keeping to ourselves, for a long time. But our enemies still feel the need to try to exact their revenge on us. There was a time when I understood that attitude, but now it's all just tiring."
The two of them walked up a short stone staircase. Etienne looked to his left and saw a waterfall streaming into the small lake.
"Let me ask you something, Hattori-sama—"
Hattori cut him off, "I'm going to be training you to be one of my ninja. Why don't you call me sensei?"
Etienne nodded his head slowly, "Right. Well, let me ask you something, Hattori-sensei. You are the son of the legendary ninja Hattori Hanzo, right?"
Hattori suddenly stopped walking and laughed heartily, "Wow. So my father's reputation really is known the world over. Yes, I am the son of that Hattori Hanzo. I succeeded him in 1596, a year before he died. As far how we came to be here…that's a story I'll bore you with another time. We've nearly reached the village proper."
As they finished climbing the staircase, Etienne saw it. Rows of wooden homes on each side, each with its own flourishes and personalizations. In the middle, a well that children danced and played around. Worried mothers watched them from a short distance away as they completed their chores.
Hattori pointed to a decrepit looking hovel that sat away from the other buildings, "That's where our healer lives. He's not very friendly, but none of this would be possible without him."
Hattori pointed to another building with swords stacked in front of it, "That's the guard shack. I told those idiots not to leave their weapons out where children could touch them and get hurt. I suppose I need to scold them again later."
Hattori went about pointing at each and every building and home and giving each a brief but thoughtful description.
Etienne listened on and looked at the faces of the villagers as they passed them. The children's faces lit up with wonder, and the mothers waved at the duo and smiled warmly.
"Much friendlier than I expected…" Etienne thought to himself.
After a few minutes, they reached the other end of the village and stood in front of a humongous two-story building with pillars holding up a large second floor balcony.
"And this is the headquarters of the Iga Clan ninja. This is where you'll be reporting every day for your training, promptly at sunrise."
Etienne looked at it in awe. He turned to Hattori, "Hattori-sensei, this place is beautiful, and it seems quite peaceful. But it's so far from Tokyo and mainland Japan, why did you choose here?"
Hattori's joyful expression became melancholy, "Do you really want to know, Ike-kun?"
Etienne nodded his head.
The two of them walked past the Iga Clan headquarters and headed deeper into the forest. The carefully manicured grass and stone paths ended, and they trudged over leaves and twigs.
Hattori looked down and stomped in front of a line drawn deep into the ground. Hattori reached his hand out, trying to reach past the line, and his hand immediately caught on fire.
Hattori looked at his hand, unfazed, and pulled it back slowly, stopping the fire instantly.
He looked at Etienne, "We can't leave. Not for long periods of time anyway. No matter what techniques we use or how much water we try to pour on ourselves, if we leave the village, we never stop burning. While we research how to counteract this…curse, we've decided to make this place a home. Instead of a prison."
Etinne looked at him in shock. He tried to form a response, but he was at a loss for words.
Hattori laughed and put a hand on his shoulder, "Trust me. When I discovered we can't leave this place, I had the same look on my face. Now come on, I just wanted to kill some time before we start your initiation. I think the others are ready."
Etienne opened his mouth to say something, but Hattori put his finger up and shushed him. He scanned the area with his eyes slowly, before yelling out, "I see you right there, Masashige. You know you shouldn't be playing here!"
A young boy with long hair slowly crept from behind a nearby tree and pensively walked up to Hattori.
Hattori ran his hands through the boy'sthat, hair and looked at Etienne, "Sorry about that Ike-kun. This is my son, Hattori Masashige. Of the people in my village, myself, my son and the doctor are the only ones who speak English, so if you see him and I'm not around, don't be afraid to ask him anything."
Masashige stepped away from Hattori's side and bowed.
Hattori patted the boys back, "Go find Ms. Shina and don't leave her sight. Do you understand?"
Masashige nodded rapidly and ran off toward the village.
Etienne smiled, "He seems like a good kid. He kind of reminds me of me."
Hattori smiled back at him, "He certainly is. My only problem is that he only cares about what's beyond this village. All he wants to do is explore. But nevermind that, you'll get tired of me complaining about him soon. Are you ready to become a ninja?"
Etienne raised an eyebrow.