TEXT: 27s65-8 + tN U S $2 5C {tN CANADA $2 95) + A BANTAM AOOX =ffio
  
  YOU'Rtr THE, STARI 29 EXCITINC ENDINGS!
  THE, CURSE OF THE, NINJA
  HAS CAUGHT UP WITH YOU!
  You've come to Japan to master the ancient martial arl-
  of aikido. One day your friend Nada summons you to her
  school. She tells you shes being haunted by a terrible
  curse that began the day an ancient and mysterious
  sword arrived in the mail. And now the curse is on you,
  too! To save you both, you must discover the secret of the
  powerful sword. But how?
  If you decide to hunt for the person who sent the susord,
  tum to page 78. If you decide to go back to the past and
  fincl the suord there, tum to page 77. Eut beware the
  wrath of the ninja! You may wind up drowned in a
  haunted well or beheaded by a corpse! Or Aou might
  break the spell of a uow of reuenge that's been spreading
  euil for a thousand gears!
  What happens next in the story? lt all depends on the
  choicesyou make. tlow does the story end? Onlyyou can
  find out! And the best part is that you can keep reading
  and rereading until you've had not one but manA incred-
  ibly daring experiences!
  CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE@
  AUSTRAL|A... 
  ....... +$3.95
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  "l didn't read much before, but now I read my
  Choose Your Own Adventure books almost every
  night. "
  --{hris Brogan, age 13
  KIDS CAN'T STOP READING
  THE CHOOSE YOUR
  OWN ADVENTURE@ STORIES!
  "Choose Your. Own Adventure is the best thing
  that has come along since books-themselves. "
  -Alysha 
  Beyer, age 11
  "l love the contoll have overwhat happens next. "
  -Kosta Efstathiou, age 17
  "Choose Your Own Advefiture books are so much
  fun to read and collect-l want them all!"
  -Brendan Davln, age 11
  And teachers-.[ike this series, tqo:
  "We have read and reread, worn thin, loved,
  loaned, bought for others, and donated to school
  libraries our Choose Your Own Adventure
  books. "
  CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTUREo-
  AND MAKE READING MORE FUN!
  
  RL 5, lL age 10 and uP
  SECRET OF THE NINJA
  A Bontom Bcr,k I APril 198-7^ ^^
  5 Prinfings throughFebruory 198E
  'g"o,?,*';g'Jgfi,Y,Jffi,Jj'rk:"r:;:tr;!"X;*ts'i\!
  - 
  and elsewhere'
  Oiginol conception ol Edward Pockod
  WARNING!!!
  Do not read this book straight through from begin-
  ning to endl You can have many different adven-
  tures as you try to find out what mysterious force is
  disturbing your friend Nada's martial arts school.
  As you read, you will be able to make choices.
  Your choices will determine whether you succeed
  in solving the mystery.
  As you search for clues, you'llencounter the secret
  and sometimes magical world of the ninja. You
  may even have to become a ninja yourself. You are
  responsible for your fate because you make the
  decisions. After you make a choice, follow the in-
  structions to find out what happens next.
  Be careful! The ninja can be deadly. To find out
  more about them before you begin, read the Spe-
  cial Note on the following pages.
  in onv lorm or by ony meonq3rcqtuic uI rrrEurrsriluv"
  ililtii tiii'iiiadpviig,,",o'dins,..o' 
  by 9!! il[?f ,o:i"'
  ri,lii'iiiaiipiiig, reco'dlns, or bv onv inlormotion
  storigb ond reiieuol system, t'ithout permsslon ln
  iritinq tr;^ the Publ5her' -
  For inlormoion addre'ss: Bontam Books'
  lsBN 0-5s3-27565-8
  Publlshed simuttoneously in the lJnited Stoks ond Conodo
  Bontam Books are
  Bontom DoubledoY
  consistinq ol the w
  o rcat{r, is Registe
  in other countnes
  Aoenue. New Yo*,
  PRINTED IN THE UNTTED STATES OF AMERICA
  o 
  14131211
  
  SPECI.ALNOIE ON
  THE NINJA
  The ancient art practiced by the ninja is called
  ninjufsu-th e way of stealth or invisibility. It grew
  out of many sources, including Japanese fighting
  arts (bujufsu), Chinese war tactics, Tibetan mys-
  tical practices, and Japanese mountain religions.
  Mountain clans developed the art and passed it
  secretly from one generation to the next. Because
  the ninja were commoners, they were not held to
  the samurai's rigtd code of behavior, and by subtle
  means they could accomplish things a samurai
  could not. Ninjufsu is also a martial art that has
  always been practiced by both men and women.
  A ninja has many different skills. Each ryu (tradi-
  tion or school) has its own mix of techniques,
  taught by the sensei (teacher or master) at the dojo
  (the physical place where martial arts are prac-
  ticed). A student might specialize in hand-to-hand
  fighting, swordsmanship, or the use of various
  other weapons. He or she might learn how to
  move without being detected, how to scale walls
  and fuees, or how to deceive an enemy with special
  tactics. Some ninja used their art simply to defend
  themselves and their villages, others for espionage
  and commando attacks, and some even became
  hired assassins.
  Most of the adventures in this book are drawn from
  Japanese folk legends and beliefs. According to
  
  legend, the ninja were
  m"ountain beings called
  GLOSSARY
  AikidHAi, harmony; ki, energg; do, the way. A
  defensive discipline using pivoting motions
  and the momentum of the attacker to neu-
  lralize the attack.
  Biwa-A four-stringed inshument similar to a lute.
  Bujutsu-Broad term for allJapanese warrior arts.
  Daimyo-A feudal lord.
  Dojo-The place where martial arts are practiced.
  Furoshiki-A large kerchief used to tie up and
  carry one's belongings.
  Futon-A thick, quilted mathess.
  Gen-lllusion. A wise man is quoted as saying this
  world is gen, a marionette show.
  Gohei-Sacred wand used by mountain priests.
  Goryo Shinko-The practice of buildingshrines or
  holding festivals to pacify vengeful spirits.
  Based on the belief that if someone dies
  with resentment, his or her spirit will haunt
  the living.
  Haragei-A kind of sixth sense, a way of being
  grounded within oneself and attuned to in-
  ner energy. Hora is one's center of gravity, a
  point two inches below the navel.
  Jonin-Leader of a group of ninja.
  Kaginawa-A grapple or hook attached to the end
  of a rope.
  Kami-A spirit, demon, or deity.
  Karate-Literally, "empty-handed. " A martial art
  utilizing punches and kicks.
  Kimono-Robelike garment, usually cotton or
  silk, worn by men and women.
  
  KoteA silk-stringed musical inshument resem-
  bling a zither.
  Kuji-Ninja sorcery. Sometimes described as
  "nine hands cutting" or "nine syllables."
  Mystic finger positions channel energy.
  Kusari-fundo-Ninja weapon; a length of chain
  with weights at either end.
  Miko-A priestess or maiden in service of a shrine;
  also, a sorceress.
  Ninja-An adept at the art of ninjutsu.
  Ninjutsu-The "art of stealth" or "way of invis-
  ibility. " An unconventional discipline incor-
  porating martial arts, special weapons,
  techniques of concealment, and sorcery.
  Rojo-House mishess, woman in charge of the
  domestic staff.
  Ronin-Literally, "man tossed by the waves. " A
  freelance samurai who had no master and
  usually no consistent employment.
  Ryu-School or tradition of martial arts.
  Saiminj utsu-Ninja hypnotism.
  SakeJapanese rice wine.
  Sakki-A kind of sixth sense or ability to detect
  harmful intentions-"the force of the
  killer. "
  SamuraiJapanese feudal warrior. The samurai
  were the highest class, followed by farm-
  ers, craftsmen, and finally merchants.
  Samurai were also the administrators of the
  state.
  Sensei-Master, teacher.
  Seppuku-Ritual suicide, an honorable form of
  death for samurai.
  Shugendo-A Japanese mountain religion incor_
  porating ascetic practic_es and riagic. The
  traditional founder U Snulenjo-t, En no
  Ozunu, sometimes .uff"a"En io Gyola.
  Practitioners of Shu!"ra. aii cailed
  yamabushi.
  Shuriken-A metal throwing blade, often star_
  shaped.
  Tatarigami-Ritual trance.
  Iengu-Mythical creatures supposed to have first
  tau.ShJ ninja their art. Sometimes portrayed
  as helpful but mischieror..-oi["Iiirnn, u,
  devilish, tengu are
  noses
  of an
  nails.
  leaves 
  s in the mountains, and,
  according to on9 description, i." il" .on-
  oensed spirit of the principle of yin, or
  darkness.
  
  t\"
  \.1 ,,t\
  Thunder crashes and lightning splits the sky
  above you with such force, it seems the sky will
  shatter. You run for cover. Rain pours down in
  sheets, pounding you like a fist. The storm seems
  to want to deshoy everything beneath it.
  Once inside the sliding doors of the dojo, you
  stand with your friend Nada, both of you soaked to
  the skin, and watch the storm vent its rage. An-
  other tremendous clap of thunder shakes the
  building to its foundation.
  Turn to page 2-
  
  2
  Nada casts a sidelong glance at you as if to say'
  urgently to Nara this morning'
  3
  The sensei looks back and forth between you
  and Nada. Then he places his palms on the table
  and says, "Nada, you come from a long line of
  warriors-though for many centuries they have
  practiced their art for peace, not war. I am old now.
  You must be the one to confront this danger. "
  Nada bows to the sensei.
  "So," he says, leaning back from the table,
  "what course of action do you suggest?"
  There is silence. The rain has stopped. You
  speak up: "Maybe we should take a look at the
  sword, and then hy to track down the person who
  sent it. "
  The sensei nods. "A good plan."
  "There is another option, " Nada says. She hesi-
  tates before continuing, "l said the presence
  seemed very old. We could go back in time to find
  its origin. "
  The sensei glances sharply at Nada. She holds
  up her hand to stop him from speaking, and says
  to you, "l willexplain later. Let's just say we should
  consider it a possibility. "
  lf you think you should try to track down the
  donor ot' the sword, turn to poge 78.
  lJ you think it may be a good idea to go back
  in time, turn to page 77.
  Turn to Page 4-
  
  4
  "Strange things have been happening here,"
  Nada says, pouring hot water over the crushed
  leaves in the tea cups. "The storms are just one
  sign that something is wrong. There have been
  others. " With areed whisk she stirs the leaves into
  a green froth in each cup, then gives you one. You
  hold it in both hands, letting the warmth seep in.
  "But even without the signs, I can sense a pres-
  ence here that is new-yet at the same time an-
  cient. "
  You savor the bitter taste of the tea and look
  across the low table at Nada. "Maybe you should
  start from the beginning. "
  Nada shifts her weight on the reed mal "About
  a month ago I started noticing things disappearing
  and reappearing in odd places. Then there were
  weird noises, shrieks, laughter. Now this week, the
  thunder. By themselves, these do not prove any-
  thing. It is sokki which tells me there is a very
  powerful force here that wants to destoy us. "
  "Sakki?"
  "A kind of sixth sense I learned in my training
  many years ago. I can feel the presence of harmful
  intentions. "
  "Did anything else happen around the time
  these signs appeared? Any new arrivals or changes
  in the dojo?"
  Go on to the nert page.
  Turn to page 8.
  
  6
  A split-second after you grab Nada's arm and
  dive into the woods, a wallof flame erupts on the
  road, and a net lands over the spot where you
  were. From nowhere appear five ninja, armed
  with all manner of swords, staffs, and blades.
  Nada pieces together a bow from her/uroshiki
  and disables two of the ninja with arrows before
  the others detect your position in the bushes. They
  split up, two going to the right and one to the left.
  Nada tilts her head to the right, indicating she'll
  take those two. You nod, and she disappears.
  You find a depression in the forest floor and
  burrow down into it. You cover yourself with
  leaves and twigs, then wait for the other ninja.
  The foot is next to your face almost before you
  know it. You grab it and push it out from under the
  ninja, sending him to the ground. You sit up and
  pivot to pin him, but he springs to his feet and
  draws his sword. With shock you realize that it is
  the sword from Nada's dojo!
  You meet his attack with aikido defense, grab-
  bing the ninja's sword arm with your left hand. You
  bring it down to your right hand, across your left
  leg and up and over your right shoulder. The
  sword flies off to your right, and your attacker hits
  the ground.
  For a moment you hesitate between getting the
  sword while it's loose and preventing the ninja
  from rising again.
  lf you go for the sword, turn to page 78.
  It' you go for the the ninja, turn to page 108.
  h.3\,
  N'
  lrhr
  l&^#1
  N/X:
  *urUN",
  N\ir4,j
  \MP
  
  remain calm."
  "Didn't you hear the thunder today?" Nada in-
  sists impatientlY.
  "lt is 
  -tme thit in the old days such a storm was
  9
  The next thing you are aware of is opening your
  eyes and finding yourself standing beside Nida in
  a rice paddy. Steep wooded hills rise on either side
  of you.
  "Let's go," Nada says.
  "How do we know where to go?"
  "We don't," Nada replies. wading to an
  embankment.
  "What do you mean?" you ask.
  "How can we know where to go? We must let
  ourselves wander, and sooner or later we'll find
  what we need. "
  "But don't you have a plan?" you insist.
  "Y"r,'lshe says, "my plan is to wander aimlessly
  until we find something or someone who looks like
  they know something. "
  Reluctantly you follow Nada up the embank-
  ment to a road running along the edge of the val-
  ley. Until now Nada has seemed to [now exactly
  what to do next. You begin to wonder what you've
  gotten yourself into.
  Where the paddy stops, the valley narrows. All
  is quiet except for the hickling water of a creek.
  You're approaching a bend in the road when some
  wild geese in a pond take off in startled flight. you
  wonder what frightened them. Sudde"nly you
  want to dive away from the road.
  If you grab Nada and diue into the wood,s,
  turn to page 6.
  lf you decide you are getting too jumpy,
  turn to page 82.
  Turn to page 74.
  
  10
  Sanchiro brings the sword down. It strikes your
  neck, and the tip breaks off. He looks at the broken
  blade in disbeliei then looks at you and slowly
  realizes what has happened. Suddenly he looks
  very scared. He drops the sword and flees into the
  woods.
  You turn to Nada and say, "l guess we showed
  him. "
  Nada nods. "Let's go back to the dojo."
  The End
  1l
  ,,,
  
  L2
  "My fuaining included kuji," Nada continues.
  "lt's a kind of sorcery that calls up certain forces of
  the universe. Once you begin to tap into these
  forces, the stuff the present moment is composed
  of-matter and time-starts to seem very fragile
  and also quite changeable. It's like leaining to
  open a door you didn't even know existed."
  "You would have to understand the principle of
  gen," lhe sensei says.
  "Gen means illusion," Nada explains. "Think of
  the physical world, including our bodies, as a con-
  glomeration that can and will be dissolved. There
  are ways to slip between the cracks, if you can find
  the right vibration of matter and time. I know this is
  a very general description, but to go into any more
  detail would literally take years. "
  "There's only one problem with your plan,
  Nada," the sensei says. "lt's too dangerous. You
  have not practiced kuji for years, and you know
  how risky it is to go into the past. "
  "But it's our best hope," Nada protests. "With
  your help, I think we could pull it off. "
  "At least we could try to find out more about this
  kami, if that's what it is, before you risk such a
  thing, " the sensei says.
  "How?" you ask.
  If you decide to agree to be put into the tronce,
  turn to page M.
  If you would rather not, ond want to go stroight
  into the past, turn to page 40.
  Go on to the next page.
  
  t4
  Your attention is distracted by several greenish
  lights, the size of fists, flickering above the
  cypresses outside. "What are those?" you ask.
  As Nada and the sensei turn to look, a bolt of
  lightning comes from nowhere and strikes the tall-
  est tree, splitting it in two. You cringe at the thun-
  derclap that immediately follows. Then there is
  silence.
  The sensei looks stunned. Nada is bristling.
  "Now are you convinced?" she demands. "What
  more do we need? That was our sacred tree. We
  must defend ourselves. "
  Thesensei bows his head. "Nada, you are right.
  I did not think such things were possible in these
  days-thunder and lightning attacking us! You
  would think we were back in the days of our an-
  cestors. "
  "Perhaps," Nada says, "the days of our an-
  cestors have come fonvard to us. "
  "What do you mean, Nada?" the sensei asks.
  "As I was telling my friend, I feel an ancient
  presence here. Sokki tells me it is hostile. I don't
  know how else to explain it. It may be a kami."
  "What's a kami?" you ask.
  "lt's similar to a spirit, " Nada says. "Spirit never
  dies, only circulates. Everyone and everything has
  a spirit, and the spirit can filter through the world
  around us. If a komi is bothering us, it's our job to
  find out what it wants."
  Turn to page 3.
  
  16
  You follow a road that climbs slowly toward the
  mountains.
  In the afternoon you reach a mountain village of
  thatched houses shrouded in dense evergreen
  trees. A hush hangs over the village.
  "Everyone's probably working in the fields,"
  Nada whispers.
  Finally you meet up with an old man who directs
  you to a trail that leads up the mountain to the
  house of the Mikiaka sisters, who are miko. As you
  climb you ask Nada what a miko is.
  "Some miko are priestesses who tend shrines,"
  she answers. "Others are sorceresses. Some are
  even ninja. "
  The hail ends at a sagging little cottage perched
  on the mountainside. You knock twice on the
  door. It is opened by a bent woman with iron-gray
  hair. "What do you want?" she demands.
  "Pardon, honorable miko, we are hoping you
  can answer a question for us, " Nada says.
  "Don't stand in the doonrray, sister, let them in, "
  you hear a voice say from inside.
  Grumbling, the woman at the door moves aside
  and allows you to enter. A tall, shaight-backed
  woman with pure white hair greets you. "Sit
  down, honored guests, and have a cup of tea. My
  name is Yukio, and this is my sister, Gin' "
  "We are honored, " Nada says, bowing and in-
  troducing herself and you.
  You show the women the markings on the
  sword. "We understand you are miko," you say.
  "Can you tell us where this comes from?"
  L7
  "How can we go into the past?" you ask.
  "Well," Nada says, "first I must tell you some-
  thing. Do you remember when we first met, one of
  the things that brought us together was our interest
  in moving beyond aggressive forms of bujutsu,
  martial arts, in favor of aikido? We talked about
  how aikido provided a way to integrate our phys-
  ical, mental, and spiritual energies, and how it
  drew on inner balance to give us not only a means
  of self-defense, but also a way to live. In your case,
  it was karate that you left behind. "
  "And you too," you put in.
  "That's not entirely true. You see, my family has
  for many centuries been a ninja clan. I was trained
  in ninjutsu."
  It takes a moment for this to sink in. Then you
  ask, "Why did you stop?"
  "One never really stops," Nada replies. "l just
  wanted to focus on aikido. But I did put away my
  tools of ninjutsu.l was afraid of what was happen-
  ing-afraid I was on a violent path. It's the old
  problem: if you invest too much time in learning
  the techniques of death, you tend to want to use
  them. Perhaps some day, when I am wiser, I will
  resume my haining."
  You nod, absorbing this information. You'd
  heard amazing stories about the ninja from your
  mother. In addition to bujufsu, ninja were sup-
  posed to be skilled at stealth, invisibility, and even
  magic. You'd always been curious to learn more
  about ninjutsu-and now it turns out your best
  friend is a ninja!
  TArn b poge 27.
  Turn to page 72.
  
  18
  and escapes with his accomPlices'
  - NJu immediately sees your condition when
  she comes to check on you. She twists her fingers
  in a series of. kuii signs, and slowly your nervous
  svstem recovers.
  -';;Oon't let them get away!" you gasp' "They
  have the sword-the same sword that was sent to
  the dojo!"
  Nada rushes after them, but soon returns'
  they came from. "
  19
  In the morning you set off down the road. Like
  most roads in feudal Japan, the one running
  through the valley is narrow, made mainly for
  horse and foot travel.
  After a few miles you come into a larger valley.
  You wade across a wide, shallow river. On the
  other side, the road ends at an intersection. To
  your left, mountains rise in the distance, and to
  your right, the valley widens.
  You and Nada stand at the branching paths. "l
  don't know which direction is better," Nada says.
  "You choose."
  It' you turn left, toward the mountoins,
  turn to page 16.
  lf you turn right, into the uolley,
  turn to page 31.
  Go on to the next Page'
  
  20
  "Maybe the tengu can help us," you say.
  "Oh, they can help," Gin assures you. "The
  question is u.rill they? They're as likely to eat you. "
  Gin takes you outside and points to a mountain
  across the way. "l know tengu live up there. One
  named Xenglu is particularly knowledgeable. I'll
  show you a secret path that will lead you to a
  bridge across the ravine between the mountains.
  Watch for tengu-bi-the lights of thetengu flicker-
  ing on the mountaintop. "
  You thank Gin and Yukio and head down the
  secret path with Nada. You come to the bridge, a
  flimsy rope and plank rigged across the deep ra-
  vine,
  "We'd better go one at a time," you say.
  You cross first. You must hold on to the ropes
  with both hands to keep your balance. After you
  reach the other side, Nada starts across.
  A winged shadow passes over you. You look up
  to see what looks like an enormous bird circling
  above. As it swoops down on Nada, you're
  shocked to see that it has a wrinkled red face, a
  long nose, and a human body. It's a tengul
  The tengu sinks his claws into Nadas back and
  starts pulling her away. Nada clings desperately to
  the ropes of the bridge, yelling curses atthe tengu.
  Should you attempt to pry the tengu's claws loose?
  Or should you hy to knock it out with a shuriken-
  a metal throwing blade?
  lf you want to try to free Nodo,
  turn to page 23.
  lf you reach t'or o shuriken, turn to page 703.
  "Nu.
  
  22
  You follow Nada through the secret door. You
  find yourselves in a long, narrow passageway.
  You silently feel your way through the darkness'
  You listen closely for sounds ahead of you.
  You come to an intersection where you feelout
  passageways 
  small
  soundto your 
  follow
  the passage u 
  along
  the walls.
  "l've found something," Nada whispers after a
  minute. "lt's just within my reach. I think it's the
  bottom rung of a rope ladder. " She reaches up,
  grabs the rung, and starts to pull herself up.
  "Waitl" you say. "Don't you think there's some-
  thing strange about this?"
  "What do you mean?" Nada asks.
  "There are always just enough clues to keep us
  on the trail. It's as if whatever is in front of us uonfs
  us to keep following. I feellike we're being lured' I
  think maybe it's tracking us, not the other way
  around. "
  "You might be right, " Nada says. "But we're so
  close to it now, I don't want to lose it."
  "l'll bet it's waiting for us at the top, " you argue.
  "lt'll have us just where it wants us, and we won't
  be able to escape. "
  "Tiue," Nada says, "butwe have the advantage
  of knowing it's a trap. We can devise a strategy. "
  lf you ogree to go aheod and climb the lodder
  turn to page 96.
  If you tell Noda you want to try o diJt'erent way,
  turn to page 100.
  and start prying the
  back. The fengu just
  ay with a wing, then flies
  the bridge to
  You mana
  bridge and ge
  to find Nada
  regdy darkness is setting in.
  . You.take of{yp the paih. The light slowly drains
  from the world around yor, unE soon you are
  feeling your way among murky shapes al-ong the
  path.
  . Rumbling comes from the mountaintop. in
  gl 
  , you catch signt of
  a 
  he tees
  hi 
  among t
  bi, you think. 
  ge to your right' Tengu-
  .. Y9u pick up your pace, but suddenly your atten-
  tion is caught by a sound in the *ooai. It seems
  incredible, but what you hear is a kofo_a silk_
  stringed instrument like a zither. you,ve never
  heard music so eerily beautiful. It seems to trickle
  from the stars and trees. You wonder if whoever is
  playing might be able to help you with the tengu.
  If you go toward the koto music, hoping it
  might leod you to the tengu,
  go on to the next poge.
  lf you keep going after the tengu-bi,
  turn to page 710.
  
  24
  Pushing aside branches and bushes, you make
  your way through the woods toward the music.
  When you get closer you see firelight playing on
  the treetops ahead of you. You come to the edge of
  a clearing, where you find an astounding scene: a
  ring of yomobushi with sparkling eyes are dancing
  in the firelight, drinking sake, and feasting on fish
  and rice.
  One of lhe yamabushi sees you and motions for
  you to join in. You begin to say, " l just want to ask a
  question-"
  25
  "There is time for questions later, " he interrupts,
  pulling you into the circle. "Now is the time to
  dance. Come dance for us. "
  The music stops and then a new, slower song
  begins. "Dance!" lhe yamabushi cry eagerly.
  If you decide to dance, turn to poge 95.
  If you would rather leaue quickly,
  turn to page 774.
  
  26
  "l'm glad you enjoyed yourself with my friends
  last night, " lhe tengu says, a sparkle in his eyes.
  "We especially enjoyed your dance!"
  "We were there in the form of. yomabushi,"
  Nada explains. "lt was an excellent perfor-
  mance-which is lucky for me, because if you
  hadn't joined in, I would have been stuck here as
  Xenglu's servant for the rest of my life. "
  "A pity too," Xenglu says. "We've been getting
  along so well. Nada has told me all about the ninja
  you fought with-a man who, ['m sorry to say,
  learned his powers from me. "
  "The ninja's name is Sanchiro Miyamotori,"
  Nada says. "My family and the Miyamotori were
  enemies for a long time. According to Xenglu,
  Sanchiro's komi has been harassing our dojo. He
  put a curse on our family. "
  "l gave him his sword," Xenglu explains. "Once
  we take away its power, the curse will be lifted.
  Here's what you must do. You and Nada will meet
  up with Sanchiro on a country road. You'll be
  dressed as farmers. Sanchiro will demand that you
  move out of his way. Do not move-let him strike
  you."
  "lt is time for us to go, " Nada says. She turns to
  Xenglu. "l'm glad we met, but I'm also glad I'm
  leaving. Good-bye. "
  "The markings are an ideogram of some kind.
  Wherever it came from, it's evil," Gin says.
  "We think it belongs to a ninja clan or ryu,"
  Nada explains.
  "lt does resemble the crest of the Miyamotori,"
  Yukio says. "But I'm afraid we can't help you
  more than that. I'lltell you what you should do. A
  wise old yamabushi named Gyoja lives higher up
  on the mountain. I'm sure he could tell you-"
  "No, no, " Gin interrupts. "lf it's ninja you want
  to know about, you must seek out the tengu on the
  mountain across the ravine. The ninja first learned
  their art from tengu."
  "That's a terrible idea," Yukio objects. "You
  should avoid the tengu. They like to play tricks,
  and their tricks are not funny. "
  "What's a tengu?" you whisper to Nada. "And
  what's a yamabushi?"
  "A yamabushi is a mountain priest," Nada ex-
  plains quickly. " A tengu is a creature that's sup-
  posed to look like an old man with a long beak and
  wings and know shong magic."
  "Tengu are very ornery!" Yukio breaks in.
  "They set fire to houses, eat babies, and deceive
  Buddhist monks. I would go to Gyoja. "
  "kngu can be mischievous," Gin admits, "but
  they know more about ninja than any monk, and
  lhey houe been known to help people. "
  It' you decide to look t'or the tengu,
  turn to page 20.
  lf you decide to try to t'ind Gyoja,
  turn to page 44.
  27
  TUrn to page 30.
  
  28
  "l guess I'm oufuoted," Nada replies with resig-
  nation.
  You take off down the road, led by the samurai,
  who tells you his name is Sashami. You follow him
  through the abandoned village, and finally end up
  on a larger road that appears to be a main thor-
  oughfare.
  We'll be safe here," Sashami says. "The Yakuzi
  stay away from highways like this. "
  As you walk down the road with Sashami, a cry
  comes from behind, "Down! Down!"
  A procession is approaching. Sashami and
  Nada immediately prostrate themselves on the
  side of the road, and you do the same.
  You peek as the horseback samurai pass with
  their porters and servants. In the middle of the
  procession is a palanquin carried by two men,
  containing the daimyo, or lord. The procession
  stops, and two samurai approach. "The daimyo
  wants to see gou, " they say.
  TUrn to poge 58.
  
  30
  "Good-bye, " Xenglu says sadly. He flaps his
  wings and another whirlwilfl kicks up around you,
  lifting you and Nada off the mountain and out over
  the range. "lt's a tengu-kaze," Nada explains. "A
  tengu wind."
  The tengu-kaze deposits you, now dressed in
  farmer's clothes, on the road in the broad valley
  below. "Look out, sfupid farmers!" a voice barks
  from behind.
  You turn slowly to face Sanchiro Miyamotori,
  who is dressed in ninja armor. "l said get out of the
  way!" he bellows.
  Stillyou don't move. He draws his sword. Sud-
  denly you have a fear that this might be Xenglu's
  last trick-to set you up for Sanchiro.
  It' you decide to grab Nodo ond diue out ot' the
  way, turn to poge 73.
  It' you stand your ground, turn to page 70.
  31
  No one in the villages along the way seems to
  know anything aboutthe ninja. Then you come to
  a drab. unhappy litfle hillside village. The people
  look frightened when you ask about the sword.
  "Talk to Hitoshi, " they say.
  By afternoon you find Hitoshi, a thin young
  man with darting eyes. You describe the ninja who
  attacked you and Nada and ask Hitoshi if he's seen
  them.
  "You have found them, " Hitoshi replies He
  gestures to a valley above the village. "They live in
  a castle up there. But you could never reach it by
  yourselves. I can take you-if you pay. "
  You're about to protest that you have nothing to
  pay with when Nada says, "We'll pay you, but not
  until we see the castle for ourselves. "
  Hitoshi considers this, then nods. "We must
  wait untildark," he says. He takes you and Nada
  to a secluded spot hidden by cedar trees. "Stay
  here until I come for you at dark. "
  After Hitoshi is gone. you turn to Nada and say,
  "l don't trust him. Do you?"
  "Not very much," she concedes. "But I don't
  know what else we can do. "
  "He pointed to where the castle is," you say.
  "Maybe we could find it ourselves. "
  "l doubt it," Nada replies. "l'm sure there are
  many trick paths and traps. It's not easy to track
  down a ninja. "
  If you say you should try to t'ind the castle
  yourselues anyway, turn to page 47.
  lf you decide it's a good idea to wait t'or
  Hitoshi, turn to page 50.
  
  You walk up to the well slowly, watching for
  anything unusual. Itseems safe, so, firmly gripping
  the stone ledge, you lean over and look down
  inside.
  You are surprised by what you see-no
  ghoulish faces, just a young woman at a dressing
  table combing her long black hair. There is some-
  thing mesmeizing about the motion of her comb.
  She looks up and smiles. Shock grips your heart.
  Unable to take your eyes off her, you're drawn into
  the well. Your sense of balance is gone. You drop
  over the edge and plunge into the cold water.
  You corne to the surface gasping for breath and
  struggling to stay afloat. Luckily, your ninja climb-
  ing tools are at your waist. There's a rope and
  bamboo ladder with metal claws along its length.
  You find a crevice in the mortar of the well wall,
  insert a claw, and begin to climb out.
  You are about halfway up when a voice from the
  water says, "Wait. don't leave yet. Please rescue
  me from this well. "
  You look down. Under the water you can see an
  old crusty mirror. But you're already tired from
  your climb, and you wonder if this is another trick
  of the ghost of the well.
  lf you decide to go bock t'or the mirror,
  turn to page 41.
  If you decide to keep climbing, turn to page 48.
  
  You pick up Nada and carry her toward the
  village. An old woman going by asks, "What hap-
  pened to your friend?"
  You hesitate for a moment, wondering if you
  should hust her, then say, "She's hurt. A sword
  wound. Do you know someone who can help
  her?"
  "l can," the woman says. "Come with me."
  You follow her to a little hut hidden away from
  the road. She tells you that her name is Nikkya,
  and she is a widow. In the hut she arranges a place
  for Nada, then pushes you away, saying, "Let me
  look at the wound. "
  After she inspects it she announces, "The cut is
  bad, but I think I can heat it. She'll have to stay
  here for several days. I will get the necessary
  things. " 
  '
  While Nikkya is gone, Nada whispers to you,
  stillin pain. "There is only one hope for us. I can
  give you some of my powers. You must go to the
  casfle and try to find out who the sword belongs to
  and what is causing the attack on the dojo. But you
  must go right away-you will only have my powers
  for a short while. "
  You nod. Using the last of her strength, Nada
  fixes you with her eyes and hypnotizes you. After
  she snaps you out of it, she says before passing
  out, "Go quickly. Do not worry about me. Nikkya
  will help me."
  35
  You summon your last bit of strength and pull
  your hands apart, shaking off the trance. The
  gohei drops, and everything goes dark.
  When you open your eyes. you are surprised to
  find yourself smashed into a corner of the room,
  Nada and the sensei straining to pin your limbs to
  the ground, Tatsumo pounding you on the back.
  When they see you have snapped the trance, they
  relax their hold. You are drenched with sweat.
  "Do not get up," Tatsumo says, pushing you
  back to the floor. "Lie still. " He begins to massage
  your legs, and the sensei your arms.
  "How did you manage to break out of it?" Nada
  asks.
  "l don't know, " you say. "l just reallzed I had to
  before it was too late. "
  "lt's a good thing," she replies.
  "Yes, " Tatsumo adds, "you were in the grip of a
  very powerful komi. You were lucky to escape it. "
  "What did we find out?" you ask.
  "Enough to convince me we must go into the
  past to track down the origin of the korni," lr-ada
  says. "Apparently you were possessed by the komi
  of a warrior who lived long ago. As far as we can
  tell, he was enemies with an ancestor of mine, and
  is trying to fulfill a curse against my family. "
  "So we must go into the past to find out what the
  curse is and try to pacify it," you say.
  "Exactly, " the sensei agrees. "But first, you will
  have to train for a few days, Not only rnust you
  learn the manners and customs of the past, you
  must learn some basic ninjutsu techniques, which
  you may need to confront this warrior. "
  TUrn to page 38.
  TUrn to page 66.
  
  36
  Soon you hear Sanchiro take his place on the
  platform at the head of the chamber. "The spy has
  arrived?" he says. "Excellent. Send him in. " A
  minute later Sanchiro says, "So, what news do
  you bring from the Kurayama?"
  You listen closely. "Very important news, " the
  spy tells Sanchiro. "Dana Kurayama is on his way
  to fight Vou. He says he can no longer allow you to
  terroize the countryside. "
  Sanchiro laughs. "Good for him! I am glad my
  old enemy comes to face me. With my sword, I
  have no reason to fear him. "
  "He is not far from here, " the spy goes on. "We
  think he'll arrive tomorrow morning. "
  "Very good, " Sanchiro says. "But I will not wait
  around for him. In the morning I will meet him.
  And wherever we meet, we wili do battle. "
  You continue to listen, but nothing more about
  the sword or Dana Kurayama is mentioned.
  Sanchiro dismisses the spy and his other lieuten-
  ants. Only you and the hypnotized guards remain,
  hidden in the side room. You try to decide what to
  do. Tomorrow's confrontation between Sanchiro
  and Nada's ancestor Dana may provide the key to
  the mystery. But you wonder if you should wait
  that long. Maybe you should confront Sanchiro
  yourself, now, while he is alone.
  lf you open the sliding doors and cont'ront
  Sanchiro, turn to page 77.
  It' you decide to t'ollow him tomorrow when he
  goes to meet Dana Kurayamo, turn to page 42.
  37
  You have no idea how you know this sword
  move-the spinning sword draw-although you
  realize that the komi is the one who's actually mak-
  ing it, not you. You drop down, spin to your rear,
  and whip the blade in a horizontal arc. Nada sinks
  to the floor, and you fall backward.
  Suddenly allthe strength leaves your body, like
  a torrent flowing out of you. The knowledge you
  had just a moment ago is gone.
  With horror you finally understand what has
  happened. The kami is leaving your body, vic-
  torious. Nada is dead. And you will soon have a
  murder charge to face.
  The End
  
  38
  You run out into the night, back to the place
  under the cedars. You choose the ninjufsu tools
  you think you'll need, then return to the valley
  Hitoshi pointed out.
  Suddenly the casfle looms ahead. You can't be-
  lieve you've reached it so quickly. You go around
  to the back of the castle and strap your iron climb-
  ing claws to your hands and feet. The long climb
  up the castle wall puts you inside the compound,
  but you must still get to the main tower of the
  castle. You move through the outer courtyards
  with phantom steps, hiding in the shadows.
  When you reach the inner court you throw a
  kaginawo---a rope with a grapple at the end-up
  to a window. The grapple catches on the window
  ledge, and you climb up. Just below you stop and
  iisten for sounds from inside. There are none, so
  you climb up and through the window.
  Inside, you wait for several minutes, listening
  intently to the background noises of the castle.
  When you're satisfied that no one is near, you
  begin searching the room. You can't believe your
  luck. The room is full of ninja battle gear, including
  the sword!
  Your first impulse is to escape with the sword
  while you can. But then you wonder if you
  shouldn't stay and spy instead, in order to get to
  the bottom of the mystery.
  lf you take the sword ond leaue.
  turn to page 773.
  If you decide to stay and spy, turn to page 49.
  tltililt
  tAllr
  
  40
  "l think we should go into the past," you say.
  "But how can I come with you?"
  "Saiminjutsu," lhe sensei answers. "Similar to
  what you would call hypnotism, only much more
  powerful. It will enable you to accompany Nada. "
  You have one more question. "How will we
  know what time and place to go to?"
  "The markings on the sword may help us out,"
  Nada replies. "We'll copy them down to take with
  us. But it's not like setting a clock. Mainly, the en-
  ergy vibrating from the kami's presence and the
  sword will direct us. "
  "Before you go, " the sensei says, "you will have -
  to do some preparation. You'll have to learn some
  of the basic techniques of ninjutsu. You will also
  need to learn the customs and manners of the past
  so that you will not seem too much a shanger."
  The next week is spent preparing to set out on
  your search into the past. During the day you train
  in ninjutsu with Nada and the sensei, and at night
  you study Japanese history. The senseimmmages
  up some clothes that will enable you to pass for
  carpenters, which will give you an excuse to be
  traveling, since farmers were not supposed to
  leave their land. He also provides each of you with
  a furoshiki which you use to carry your gear.
  Finally the day arrives. Nada sits you down on a
  bench in the dojo. After meditating together, she
  stands opposite you and fixes you with her eyes.
  Using the techniques of saiminjutsu, she has you
  count down with her, "Nine, eight, seven, six . . "
  4t
  You start down the ladder. furyttu descend, the
  voice says, "My name is Yayoi. I was on a pil-
  grimage with my mistress, a merchant woman
  from down in the valley. On the way, she broke a
  vase and was afraid her husband would punish
  her, so she pushed me into this well. Then she told
  everyone I'd stolen it and that I felt such remorse
  that I'd committed suicide by jumping in the well.
  "My soul is in this mirror, " Yayoi goes on as you
  reach the bottom of the ladder. " If you take it out of
  here, it will be set free. Also, you may find the
  mirror will help you."
  You dive into the water and refreve the mirror.
  Carrying it under one arm, you again make the
  long climb back up the well. By the time you reach
  the top, you're exhausted.
  "So there you are!" Nada cries. "What were you
  doing in the well? Yukio warned us about it. "
  You hand Nada the mirror and collapse on the
  ground. "l rescued a ghost, " you say when you've
  recovered your breath. You tell her the story,
  adding, "The ghost said the mirror would help
  us. "
  "l just hope you're not bewitched, " Nada com-
  ments. A moment later she blurts out. "Hey, look
  at this!"
  You sit up. Nada is looking at the mirror. In the
  glass you see the five ninja who attacked you, led
  by the one with the sword.
  "They're on the road down in the valley," Nada
  says. "Let's go!"
  Turn to poge 9.
  Turn to page 76.
  
  42
  You wait for Sanchiro to leave, then you slip out.
  You go back to the room where the sword was, but
  someone has already taken it. Deciding it's too
  risky to look for it, you drop out the window and
  return safely to the woods outside the castle.
  You are able to get some rest during the night,
  half-sleeping and half-listening for sounds of dan-
  ger. Morning comes and you hide in the trees out-
  side the castle gate, waiting for Sanchiro to appear.
  When he does, you hear him say something about
  returning as soon as he finishes off Kurayama.
  Youshadow Sanchiro down the path toward the
  village. But before he gets there, he is surprised by
  another ninja-who you realize must be Dana
  Kurayama-hiding in the trees. You can't hear
  what they say as they face each other, but you see
  them move off the path and into a clearing in the
  woods. Quietly you move to the edge of the clear-
  ing in time to see them kneel across from one
  another, bow, then stand and begin the fight. It
  lasts only a few minutes, during which you see an
  astounding series of sword moves and defensive
  maneuvers. Kurayama is victorious.
  You rise to enter the clearing. As soon as
  Kurayama sees you, he disappears into the
  woods. Then you hear Sanchiro saying something
  with his last breath. You move closer. It's a curse on
  the Kurayama family! In a flash you realize that it is
  the source of the trouble at the dojo. Wth Nada's
  powers, you also know how to counteract the
  curse. You invoke a series of kuji signs that nullify
  it. Then you rush back to the village to Nada.
  g
  of-< 24e-+E 
  =-1".
  The End
  '--fF
  
  M
  "Finding Gyoja is probably safer," you say'
  "lndeed it is," Yukio agrees.
  "He's just an old monk," Gin remarks' "He
  won't be able to help you with ninja."
  "Go back down to the village, " Yukio instructs
  you. "Behind the biggest cedar you'll find.a path' It
  leads up the mountain to an abandoned monas-
  tery. Gyoja occasionallY 
  not
  find him you can spend t 
  erY'
  "ln the morning," Yu 
  can
  look for Gyoja higher up on the mountain' "
  You and Nada-bow and thank the sisters for
  their help. As you leave, Yukio calls out, "Oh, I
  forgot totell you-do not go near the well at the
  moiastery, for it is haunted. Good luck!"
  Nada follows you down to the village, where
  you find the path beh
  the mountain again. T
  and dells to a flat ridge
  finally reach the monas
  brush and its walls are
  There is no sign of Gyoja, so you and Nada eat
  some rice cakes and prepare to sleep'
  "This place is sPookY, " You saY.
  In the morning, the monastery seems more
  cheerful. Walking around the building while Nada
  prepares breakfast, you find an old stone well' It
  doesn't look haunted, you think, and you're curi-
  ous about what Yukio meant.
  45
  You close your eyes and try to relax and let your
  mind drift back into the dream. "l don't know. . . .
  I wanted you to admit you'd done some wrong. I
  wanted an apology or reparation. "
  "Some kind of compensation?"
  "Sort of. . . . More like an offering. To make
  peace."
  "Of course!" Nada savs. "We should have real-
  izeditlong ago. The kami, which was killed by -y
  ancestor, wants a shrine. "
  You open your eyes. "A shrine?"
  "l think Nada is right. The solution is to build a
  shrine, " Tatsumo says. "lt is the concept of goryo
  shinko. If someone, especially a warrior, dies with
  resentment, his spirit will seek revenge. Re-
  member, during your trance you told us this komi
  belonged to a warrior who vowed revenge as he
  died at the hands of one of Nada's ancestors. Now
  the komi is back to get it. But if we build a shrine,
  his anger will be absorbed. "
  "How strange, " you muse, "to build a shrine to
  your enemies" "
  "lt may seem strange, " Nada says, "but it hap-
  pens all the time. "
  "Unfortunately, " the sensei adds, "we'll have to
  keep you under watch until the shrine is built. "
  You nod in understanding. But already you feel
  thatthe venom of the komiis draining, and you are
  returning to yourself.
  lf gou decide to look into the well,
  turn to Page 33.
  lf you decide You'd better not,
  turn to Page 709'
  The End
  
  47
  "l just don't think we can hust Hitoshi," you
  insist to Nada.
  "We can hy to find the castle, " Nada says reluc-
  tanfly, "but if we're having no luck, let's get back
  here by dark and give Hitoshi a chance. "
  You and Nada return to the village and find a
  path up into the narrow valley Hitoshi pointed out.
  The path immediately splits, then splits again, and
  again. "We must keep careful track of these
  paths," Nada starts to say, "or we may never get
  eqf 6f-"
  Suddenly something grabs your foot and whisks
  both of you into the air. Before you know what's
  happening, you are suspended between two trees
  by a rope around your ankle.
  "Well, " Nada mutters. "l guess we don't have to
  worry about keeping track after all. "
  The End
  
  The End
  48
  water.
  49
  arnve.
  TUrn to page 36.
  
  50
  You settle in under the cedars to wait for
  Hitoshi's return. Slowly dusk comes, then twilight.
  You and Nada sit very still, attentive to sounds of
  approach.
  "Listen," Nada says.
  "What?"
  "The insects are quiet all of a sudden-"
  But her warning is too late. The attack comes
  from behind. You're knocked over by a blow to
  your head, but you react immediately by rolling
  out of the way of the chain your ninja attacker ties
  to entangle you in. You spring to your feet, assum-
  ing the defensive posfure, keeping low so you can
  make out his shape against the stars. He feints with
  the chain, then aims a front kick at your head. You
  cut inside his kicking leg and swing your left leg out
  in a wide arc, catching his kicking leg in the air and
  bringing him to the ground. He jumps to his feet
  and disappears into the woods.
  Nada is moaning on the ground a few feetaway.
  You rush to her side. "l guess you were right about
  Hitoshi," she says, groaning. "He set us up. They
  obviously wanted to take us prisoner, or they
  would have killed us right away. We were lucky we
  couldfightthem off. Butthe one who attacked me
  got me with his sword. You're going to have go to
  on without me."
  "We have to get help for you first, " you insist.
  Turn to page 34.
  
  52
  Waiting until the last two Yazuki horsemen are
  direcfly underneath, you spring from the branch.
  But your timing isn't as good as Nada's. You
  make just enough noise as you spring that one of
  the samurai looks up and sees you at the last sec-
  ond. He knocks you away from him as you de-
  scend. You hit the ground hard. Your last thought
  as his sword comes down is the hope that Nada
  can somehow escape and finish the task on her
  own.
  The End
  53
  You stay in the kance, giving rein to whatever
  force is using yotir body. Like a raging storm it
  batters everything in its path, although you can't
  tell how much of it is really happening and how
  much is just happening inside your head.
  You soon find out. You're aware of acute bodily
  pain. Slowly yourealize that the pain is from blows
  delivered by Nada and the sensei-and that
  you're returning the blows. You feela terrible hate
  for the sensei and especially for Nada.
  But now the storm seems to be passing. Your
  arms fallto your sides, and you slump to the floor.
  Your face relaxes into a mask of calmness.
  Nada and the sensei look relieved. Tatsumo
  comes over to you and pounds you on the back,
  apparently to end the trance.
  "Are you all right?" Nada asks.
  "Yes, " you say, motioning to Tatsumo to leave
  you alone. "lt's all over."
  "Thank goodness, " Nada says. "You were in
  the grip of an extremely powerful kami, which at-
  tacked us. It was all we could do to subdue you."
  "Did you find out anything?" you ask.
  "Thanks to you, " the sensei says, "we dis-
  covered it is the kami of a warrior who lived in the
  feudal era. It seems that he was an enemy of
  Nada's family. One of her ancestors killed him, and
  he vowed revenge as he died. "
  "l'm more convinced than ever that we must go
  into the past," Nada says. "But you need rest now
  We can discuss our plan of action tomorrow. "
  You nod. A little voice inside you chuckles.
  Turn to page 56.
  
  il
  "l'll do the trance," you say.
  The sensei calls Thtsumo, the Shugendo priest.
  Soon Tatsumo arrives. He directs that two
  benches be brought into the room and placed fac-
  ing each other. He sits you on one, then takes the
  seat opposite. Nada and the senseitake places off
  to one side.
  "Close your eyes," Tatsumo says, "and empty
  your mind. Clasp your hands in front of you.
  Breathe from your middle. Clear your mind as
  much as you can, let it go blank.
  "Now, " he continues, "open your eyes and look
  into mine. Focus on a spot directly behind my
  head. Do not take your eyes from mine. "
  Tabumo removes a gohei-sacred wand-from
  his sleeve and places it on the bench, then begins
  to recite a series of prayers. As you look through
  his steady black eyes to the spot behind his head,
  you can feel yourself dri{ting away. Thtsumo goes
  into a rhythmic monotone chant, then, in a sudden
  spasm, ties his fingers into a knot. You recede fur-
  ther and further from yourselt until only a tiny bit
  of you is still in the dojo. You seem to be observing
  the scene from a great distance.
  Thbumo's fingers contort into knots of increas-
  ing complexity and the chant intensifies. Abrupfly
  he stops, places the gohei between your clasped
  hands, and resumes the chant. The small part of
  you still dimly aware of your surroundings sees
  that the wand has begun to vibrate. The vibrations
  grow into a steady quiver. You sense another pres-
  ence in the room.
  @
  0
  Turn to page 68.
  
  56
  57
  You see Nada coming at you, then allgoes dark.
  When you open your eyes, you are immediately
  aware of tremendous pain throughout your body.
  You feel as if you've been run over by a truck.
  Nada, the sensei, and Tatsumo lean over you with
  looks of concern.
  "l'm so sorry!" Nada says when she sees you
  are awake.
  "You had no choice," you reply weakly. "l was
  attacking you."
  "But I knew it wasn't really you. I knew it was
  lhe kami," she says.
  "lt's all my fault!" Tatsumo moans. "l should
  have seen that it had possessed you. It was very
  clever at hiding itself. "
  "lt was a ninja," Nada puts in. "lrcalized that
  when we were fighting. Only a ninja would use a
  sword that way. "
  "lrealized it toq," you say. "l have to admit, it
  was thrilling to share its knowledge. "
  "Yes, " Nada says. "lt's a powerful art. But it also
  has great potential for evil. If you had not given up,
  I don't know what the outcome would have
  been. "
  "So the komi is defealed now?" you ask.
  "Yes, " she replies, "at least for the time being. "
  The End
  It' you go bock to sleep, turn to poge 74'
  If you decide to get up, turn to page 65'
  
  58
  You, Sashami, and Nada approach the palan-
  quin timidly. The curtain parts, and the daimyo
  looks you over before asking Sashami his name.
  After Sashami tells him, the daimyo says,
  "Aren't you the samurai who agreed to defeni a
  village back there from the Yakuzi?"
  You wonder how the daimyo found out about it.
  Sashami answers him with a weak yes and ex-
  plains, "lt was an impossible situatioh. "
  "Nevertheless, the code of the samurai requires
  you to honor you word. It is better to die in noble
  failure than to surrender, " the daimyo says.
  Sashami does not respond, so the daimyo goes
  on. "l willallow you to die honorably by commit-
  ting seppuku. " Your eyes widen. You know that
  seppuku is ritualsuicide. "As for your attendants,',
  Ihe daimyo says, gesturing at you and Nada, ,,1will
  spare them, but they will be restricted to my castle
  as servants. "
  Not only do you feel terrible about Sashami,s
  fate, but it looks as though it will be a while before
  you will be able to continue your search.
  59
  The samurai hangs his head. "Many samurai
  are proud to die in noble failure, but not I. How-
  ever, since you are both willing to stay and fight, I
  will join you."
  "Good," Nada says briskly. "Now show us
  where the best spot is to lay an ambush. "
  The samurai, who introduces himself as
  Sashami, takes you to a place where the road
  drops into a narrow little gorge thick with trees.
  "This looks perfect," you say to Nada, and she
  agrees. You get out your gear and set up the am-
  bush.
  Moments after you've taken your positions, you
  hear the thunder of hooves on the road. The
  Yakuzi come galloping through the gorge, two
  abreast. 
  a
  The End
  Turn to page 67
  
  \\\\),'1,'NlN
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  lllllllllttrr
  llrlli
  n1)))ltr
  h in a tree you start the ambush
  b 
  aut across ihe road, sending the
  h 
  four riders to the ground.-
  Go on to the next poge.
  
  62
  Sashami jumps out of the woods to take on the
  first two. As the second two are getting up, Nada
  flies from the tree opposite you, landing with a
  knee on the shoulder of each and knocking them
  to the ground.
  Two more are coming on horseback. You knock
  one out of the saddle with a shuriken-a star-
  shaped metal throwing blade-and to the other
  you toss a metal ring attached to the end of long
  cord. He catches it easily and smiles, preparing to
  pullyou out of the tree. But you snap the cord so
  that it wraps around his wrist. Then you pull him
  off his horse.
  Just as you finish this, you see that lwo more
  Yakuziare coming! You must dealwith them your-
  self somehow, since Nada and Sashami are still
  occupied with the ones on the ground. You won-
  der if you could get the last two with a flying leap
  like the one Nada made. But you also remember
  that you have a string of firecrackers that sounds
  like gunfire when ignited.
  lf you try the leap, turn to page 52.
  lf gou light the t'irecrackers, turn to page 94.
  . You grab the viola case and toss it to the lava
  globs on the shore. It quickly disappears into the
  molten mass.
  it originated, I have a feeling our troubles are
  over. "
  The End
  
  65
  You keep yourself from going back to sleep and
  struggle to your feet. Your bruises throb. Your
  watch says it's eleveno'clock, so you are sure Nada
  is asleep, but you think it is important to wake her.
  The feeling of anger at Nada doesn't go away-
  in fact, it increases. You can't control it. You hurry
  down the hall to Nada's room to wake her up
  betore it completely takes over.
  Nada sits up immediately when you burst into
  her room. You rush toward her. "Nada!" you cry
  with a mixture of alarm and hate. Your eyes meet
  hers for an instant, then with one quick motion she
  grabs you and pinches a nerv€ in your neck. You
  fall to the floor, unconscious.
  When you come to, you are in the training hall,
  tied to a column. Nada, the sensei, and Tatsumo
  are there. Nada speaks your name tentatively.
  "Yes," you say groggily. "What happened?"
  "l'm sorry I had to do this," Nada says. "But as
  soon as I saw you in my room, I knew you were still
  possessed by the kami."
  You nod slowly. "Yes, I can see that now. I came
  to your room to tell you about a dream. In the
  dream, I was a feudal warrior, and so were you. I
  was hying to explain something, but you wouldn't
  listln. I got mad and drew my sword."
  "What were you kying to explain?" the sensei
  asks. "Think hard. It could be important. "
  "l wanted Nada to do something for me. I felt
  that she owed me something. "
  "What did I owe you?" Nada prompts. "Tiy to
  remember. "
  Turn to poge 45.
  
  66
  Three days later you're ready for your-trip into
  the past. Nida expiains that the energy from the
  .*oid and the komiwill direct you to the time and
  place th 
  emPlY doio
  and me 
  he has You
  count d 
  es You with
  saiminiutsu. "Ten, nine, eight, seven . '.' " The last
  thing you remember is Nada twisting her fingers
  the -way Tatsumo did while putting you in the
  trance.
  where. "
  "Why?" you ask.
  "Beiause any minute now the Yakuzi band will
  come through here on horseback. "
  least six are on the waY!"
  67
  "We'll help you defend the village, " Nada says.
  "Don't be ridiculous. " the man replies. "You're
  not samurai. Even if you were, we still wouldn't
  have a chance""
  "We have our own means," Nada says.
  The samurai shakes his head. "You can escape
  with me if you like. I'll try to protect you. But only a
  fool would stay and face the Yakuzi. "
  Nada, however, doesn't move. It's up to you to
  say something.
  lf you soy to Nodo, "We should escope while
  we con," turn to page 28.
  If you say to the somurai, "Stay and det'end the
  uillage," turn to page 59.
  Go on to the next Page.
  
  68
  Tatsumo stops his chanting, places his hands on
  your knees, and says, "Tell us, honored guest,
  who you are. "
  An unnatural male voice, not belonging to any-
  one in the room, but which you hazily realize is
  coming from your lips, says, "l trs1-" But the
  name is blocked from your hearing by a sudden
  crushing weight on your chest.
  "What do you want?" you vaguely hear Tat-
  sumo ask. At that moment, a wild fury is un-
  leashed inside you. It lashes out in all directions, its
  enormous destructive force struggling to find
  something to punish. Thousands of voices scream,
  some for revenge, some for help. Among them
  you can distinguish one tiny voice, your own, but
  you can't hear what it is saying. You have a press-
  ing urge to try to escape the fury inside before it
  destroys you.
  It' you try to break out ot' the trance,
  turn to poge 35.
  If you let it go on in order to find out what the
  kami r.r.ronfs, turn to page 53.
  69
  You follow Nada through the halls of the castle
  to find Mr. Hatama. On your way you run into the
  oldest son of the Miyamotori family. Nada bows
  nervously, inhoduces you, and says to him, "lt is a
  pleasure to see you again, Kato. "
  "The pleasure is mine, " Kato replies coldly. "l
  was under the impression you wanted to look
  through our archives, not nose around our castle. "
  . "Uh, yes, you are quite right," Nada says. She
  has no choice but to tell him about the urn in the
  vault.
  Kato's face turns hard with anger. "Show me
  this urn, " he demands.
  You and Nada take Kato to the dusty vault. He
  opens the door and turns on a light switch. The
  broken urn is still there-but the corpse is gone.
  "This is an outrage!" Kato cries. "That urn con-
  tained the body of my uncle, who died last week. Is
  this how you repay the favor of letting you use our
  archives?"
  "No, no-" Nada tries fo explain.
  Kato cuts her off. "You can do your explaining to
  the police. "
  You and Nada wait for the police to arrive. You
  will be detained while the matter is cleared up. It
  will be several days at least before you can get back
  to work on the mysterious force attacking the
  dojo-and by then it may be too late.
  The End
  
  7t
  You burst out of the side room and crouch be-
  fore Sanchiro in the offensive posfure. Before you
  can attack, something on the ground erupts into
  billows of smoke. You catch sight of Sanchiro
  jumping to a tap door in the ceiling.
  You follow and find yourself in a passageway
  built into the ceiling. It leads to a parapet of the
  casfle. Sanchiro is nowhere to be seen.
  You think over the situation and realize that he
  has lured you to the place where he will have the
  greatest advantage. He knows every ledge of the
  castle top, while you are in new tenitory. There is
  one hope. You must find ku-the Void-and
  empty yourself of all preconceptions, illusions,
  even willpower so that you will be completely
  aware and ready for the attack.
  It comes from the side you least expect.
  Sanchiro knocks you down with a crushing
  kidney-kite. You go limp as he comes to kick you
  over the edge. Your lack of resistance so surprises
  him that he catches his foot underneath you and
  pitches over the edge himself.
  You get out of the castle quickly. You arrive ex-
  hausted at Nikkya's hut and tell Nada what hap-
  pened.
  "l'm glad you defeated Sanchiro," she says.
  "But I'm worried that we haven't found the exact
  source of the disturbances at the dojo. I'm also
  worried that we may have altered history. "
  "We'll have to go back right away," Nada de-
  cides. "l guess all we can do is hope that whatever
  you did has taken care of the problem. "
  The End
  
  72
  At breakfast you warm your hands around a
  bowl of rice porridge while you, Nada, and
  Sashami wait for the sun to come over the ridge.
  Sashami reminds you of his pledge to help you.
  "Maybe you can help," you say. You show him
  the paper with the sword marking on it. "We think
  it may belong to a ninja clan. "
  Sashami's face drops when he sees the paper.
  "You know it?" Nada asks.
  "l cannot tell you everything," Sashami replies
  in a low voice, "for even now it is painfulto recall. I
  will simply say it is the secret crest of the evil
  Miyamotori ninja clan. It is because of the greed
  and deception of their leadel Sanchiro, that I was
  forced to leave my master, my town, and my fam-
  ilv."
  "We too have be'en threatened by them," Nada
  says.
  "lt would be my pleasure to help you against
  Sanchiro," Sashami tells you. "l can take you to
  the Miyamotori castle. It is two days from here if we
  take the Yakuzi's horses. "
  You ride for two days through snowy passes,
  grassy plains, and feudal towns until finally you
  reach a smallvillage. Sashami points toward a nar-
  row valley above the village and says, "That's
  where the Miyamotori castle is. I know the secret
  way up. Follow me carefully. "
  73
  "What are you doing?" Nada cries as you pull
  her out of the way of the sword and roll into the
  ditch on the side of the road.
  Sanchiro sheaths his sword and says, "That's
  better. You should respect your superiors. "
  Angrily you get to your feet and start after him.
  But when he sees you coming, he simply whirls
  around, puts a cloak over his shoulders, and is
  gone.
  Baffled, you look at Nada. "Cloak of invis-
  ibility," she explains. "Probably another gift from
  Xenglu. Why didn't you follow his inshuctions?"
  "l was afraid it was another trick," you say
  sheepishly.
  Nada sighs. "We blew our best chance. We may
  never catch up with Sanchiro now. "
  The End
  Turn to page 77.
  
  74
  In the middle of the night you wake up again,
  and, without thinking, walk out of your room and
  down the hall. Somehow you know where to go.
  The door you want is locked. But suddenly
  you're on the other side of it. You find the box and
  open the lid. Reverently, you lift out the silk-
  wrapped object. You set it on the floor, unwrap it,
  and draw it from its sheath. Finally the sword is in
  your hand. It feels amazingly familiar.
  You rise and go noiselessly down the halltoward
  the part of the dojo where Nada sleeps. You slip
  into her room and stand over her. You raise the
  sword. Suddenly something inside you screams,
  "No!" You hesitate. But in a rush your purpose
  returns, and you bring the sword down.
  The moment of hesitation is just enough for
  Nada's eyes to fly open. Seeing the sword, she
  reacts instantaneously with a forearm deflection
  that blocks your sword hand. Then she hits you
  with a toe-strike, knocking you backward. You re-
  gain your balance and come at her. Nada flies
  straight up in the air to avoid the sword and catches
  you in the chest with a foot-stamp.
  You find yourself gasping for breath on the floor.
  You also find that Nada's blows have weakened
  the komi inside you. You realize you've been try-
  ing to kill Nada! You see she is coming at you with a
  finishing blow, and you must choose between let-
  ting her deliver it, or counteracting it with one final
  sword move.
  lf you lie still, turn to page 57.
  lf you use the sword mot)e, turn to page 37.
  N
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  ss.,/ -
  S,S
  
  76
  Quickly you gather your gear and light out
  down the mountain. In no time at allyou and Nada
  are back in the valley, hurrying down the road to
  confront the ninja.
  "l've been thinking, " Nada says. "Yukio told us
  the ideogram from the sword hilt resembled the
  Miyamotori family crest. The Miyamotori are a
  ninja clan who at one time had a terrible rivalry
  with my family. Maybe that's who these ninja are. "
  You start to say it sounds likely, when suddenly,
  rounding a cornet you find yourself face to face
  with the five ninja. The leader smiles briefly, then
  the look of deadness you saw before comes into
  his eyes. He draws the sword.
  "Wait!" Nada holds up her hand. "Answer one
  question: Are you a Miyamotori?"
  "l am Sanchiro Miyamotori," he says without
  emotion, then advances. Just as he reaches you,
  you hold the mirror up to him. He freezes. Horror
  fills his face and the sword drops from his hand. t{e
  and the others turn and run.
  After they've disappeared down the road, you
  turn to Nada and say, "l wonder what they saw. "
  "l hate to imagine," Nada replies, looking at the
  mirror. "lt is said that a mirror can reflect your soul
  back to you. Whatever it was, I think we've solved
  our mystery and we can go back to the dojo."
  "Should we take the sword?" you ask.
  "We don't need to," Nada replies. "ln the fu-
  ture, the sword is already at my dojo. Besides, it's
  never a good idea to tamper too much with the
  past. "
  77
  Bef.oreyou reach the casfle, you hear a yellfrom
  the woods. Cautiously the three of you dismount
  and investigate.
  You come upon a clearing in which two ninja are
  faced off against each other. Each has a sword.
  They kneel and bow, then slowly approach one
  another.
  "That's Sanchiro Miyamotori!" Sashami whis-
  pers.
  "And he's got the sword-the one that's at the
  dojo now!" you add.
  You grab Sashami's sword from him, ready to
  rush out and help the other ninja. But then you
  wonder if it's a good idea. Maybe you should let
  the two ninja fight it out themselves.
  lf you go ahead into the cleanng,
  turn to Page 172.
  It' you stay back, turn to page 107.
  The End
  
  78
  "Let's try to find
  from, " you say.
  "l'll bring it in,"
  closer look at it. "
  The sword is wrapped in silk. Nada places it on
  the table, unrolls the silk, and pulls the sword out
  of its scabbard. Its blade is sharper than anything
  you've ever seen. But it's the markings on the hilt
  that draw your attention.
  "This is an odd symbol," the sensei says. "l
  don't know what it stands for. Some kind of secret
  sect, perhaps. "
  "lt almost looks like a family crest," you say"
  "Yes, " the sensei says. "ln fact, it reminds me a
  little of the Miyamotori family crest. "
  "The Miyamotori!" Nada exclaims. "They were
  once the sworn enemies of my family. "
  "Are they still?" you ask.
  out where the sword came
  Nada says. "We can take a
  79
  "Not really," Nada replies, "but these rivalries
  die very slowly. We' d better hack down the person
  who sent us the sword and find out where they got
  lt. '
  "That may be difficult, " the sensei says. "There
  was littie information enclosed with the sword.
  What about doing some research into the history
  of the Miyamotori family? You may find something
  that tells you about the ideogram on the hilt. "
  "But that would mean asking the Miyamotori
  family to let us look at their archives, " Nada says.
  "Luckily I have a good friend who is a sensei at
  their ryu. We could call him to help arrange your
  visit, " the sensei says.
  Nada turns to you and asks, "What do you
  think?"
  lf you say, "Let's do some research,"
  turn to page 87.
  It' you say, "Let's try to t'ind the person who
  sent the su)ord," turn to Page 101.
  Go on to the next page.
  
  81
  You and Nada carefully circle the corpse. While
  Nada waits on one side, you stand across from her
  and reach down to look at the body.
  When you turn the corpse over a horrible de-
  mon mask stares back up at you. Suddenly the
  white eyes come alive. They grip you as if binding
  you with rope. The rope squeezes tighter and
  tighter. Nada frantically attacks the demon-corpse,
  but her blows bounce off it as if it were made of
  steel. You struggle to maintain consciousness.
  Nada, desperate enough to try anything, pulls the
  demon maskoff the face of the corpse. The grip on
  you loosens, and Nada immediately ties her fin-
  gers into a series of shange knots. It's over in a
  matter of moments-the corpse once again life-
  less, this time for real.
  "What happened?" you ask, still dazed. "When
  you pulled off the mask, it seemed to lose its
  power. "
  "l don't think the mask had any real power.
  Pulling it off just distracted him and gave me an
  opening, " Nada explains. "l think the corpse was
  possessed by a ninja komi, the komithat has been
  attacking our dojo.l was able to use kuji-a form
  of sorcery I learned in my ninja training-to scare it
  away. It may return, though. "
  "At least it won't be back for a little while, " you
  say. "Maybe in the meantime we can figure out
  where it came from and what it wants. "
  (
  The End
  
  82
  You shake off your premonition and vow not to
  be so jumpy. A second later flames burst all around
  you. Every way you turn, you see fire. Nada pulls
  you out of the road, but already a net has landed
  over your head. You're happed. Five figures clad
  in black ninja clothes emerge from the woods and
  move in on you.
  You have no idea why, but you are about to be
  the target of a ninja assassination.
  The End
  "We've got to get rid of the sword, " you say io
  Nada. "lt's obviously the source of our houble. "
  "We can't do that, " Nada objects. "How can we
  track down who sent it?"
  "We'llcopy the markings on the hilt. That's all
  we need."
  "l don't know. . . ." Nada says.
  The stewardess decides for you. She grabs the
  sword and tosses it overboard. Nada reaches for it
  as it sails over the railing, but she can't catch it. The
  sword sinks into the sea.
  Soon the captain of the freighter comes on
  again to announce, "The engines seem to be
  fixed, folks. We'll have you back on land soon. "
  The freighter takes you to Wake Island. Nada
  immediately calls the senseito tell him what hap-
  pened. The senseitakes the news calmly, remark-
  ing only that the air at the dojo seems lighter.
  You and Nada return to the dojo. You stay for a
  few more days. No lightning storms or other
  strange events recur. One day as you and Nada sip
  tea with the sensei, he announces, "l think we can
  consider our mystery solved. The disturbances
  have ceased. The sword obviously brought with it
  some sort of angry spirit, and now it and the spirit's
  anger are at the bottom of the sea. "
  You and Nada agree. You prepare to catch a
  train back to Kyoto the next day, glad to have had
  the visit with Nada.
  The End
  
  The crew of the freighter lowers a lifeboat into
  the water, followed by you, Nada, and the viola
  case. They include water and a week's supply of
  space-food sticks, and wish you luck.
  Once you've left the ship, its engines apparenfly
  recover and it steams away at rapid speed. You
  find yourselves alone in the middle of the Pacific.
  Two days later you are still there. The sword is
  quiet, and you haven't seen a single ship or plane.
  "We must be out of the shipping lanes," you say.
  Later in the day you spot a pillar of smoke on the
  horizon. "Look!" you cry. "Maybe itt a ship."
  But as the smoke grows into a black cloud and
  fire shoots into the sky, you realize it's no ship. You
  watch in awe as the eruption builds. Great col-
  umns of flame burst forth.
  A cone-shaped piece of land rises from the sea.
  Your boat drifts toward the new island. The heat is
  intense as you float to the shore. Nada begins to
  row away from the hot land.
  "Wait!" you say. "Something's on the shore."
  Globs of lava rise out of the molten rock, seem-
  ing to stand up to greet you. They don't appear to
  have mouths, but you hear a deep, raspy voice
  say, "We are the gods of the forge and swordmak-
  ing. You have a sword that is causing disruption in
  our world. You must give it to us. "
  Nada is defiant. "Never!"
  It' you don't want to giue it to them either,
  turn to page 706.
  lf you think you should throw the sword to the
  laua creatures, turn to page 63.
  N
  ,|fl.
  I
  N
  wl
  =------
  \--;--
  
  86
  "Luckily I have seen enough of thistype of thing
  that I may be able to keep my reputation as a wise
  man intact," Gyoja says with a little smile. "l be-
  lieve you are dealing with an angry komi. Almost
  certainly it is the kami of the ninja who ambushed
  you. I suspect the arrival of his sword at your dojo
  aroused the anger of the kami.l can't say why he
  was angry in the first place, but what is important is
  to placate it. "
  "But it's attacking us," you object.
  "Most attacks are best fended off with under-
  standing," Gyoja replies. "Violence breeds more
  violence. "
  "How can we make peace with the kami?"
  Nada asks.
  "Build a shrine to it," Gyoja says. "Use the
  sword in the shrine. Have a summer festivalfor it.
  If you do this with sincerity, the anger of the komi
  will be absorbed by the greater kami."
  You and Nada bow deeply and thank Gyoja for
  sharing his advice. Then you head down to the
  monastery to spend the night. In the morning you
  will return to the present and try out Gyoja's sug-
  gestion.
  The End
  87
  The next day you and Nada take the train to the
  remote village below the Miyamotori estate. A taxi
  leaves you at the estate, a forbidding castle set
  back in a dark valley.
  After a long climb up stone steps and through
  several gates, you ring the bell. The rqo-house
  mistress-answers. Acknowledging that Mr.
  Hatama arranged for your visit, she leads you to
  the cramped archive room in a remote part of the
  castle.
  After the rojoleaves, Nada remembers that she
  promised the sensei she'd give his regards to Mr.
  Hatama. "l'llbe back in a few minutes," she tells
  you.
  You start searching through the thick, tattered
  parchments while Nada is gone. Only a minute
  later you hear a loud rattling noise. It seems to be
  coming from down the hall. At fiist you ignore it,
  but it becomes so loud and insistent you can't
  concentrate on the papers.
  Cautiously you walk down the hall to a heavy,
  squat door. You check to see that no one is watch-
  ing, and try the door. It opens.
  Turn to page 99.
  
  89
  "l would like you to give me your sword," the
  Sea Queen says. "l know it's a big request. It is not
  easy to give up such a powerful weapon. "
  "But we do not intend to use it," Nada protests.
  "You are entitled to an explanation, " the Queen
  goes on. "The sword belonged to a ninja warrior of
  the feudal period. His name was Sanchiro
  Miyamotori. Much of his power came from his
  swo1d, which was given to him by a fengu. The
  tengu also taught him magic. "
  Nada whispers to you that a fengu is a beaked,
  winged creature that lives in hees in the moun-
  tains.
  "Unfortunately," the Sea Queen continues,
  "Sanchiro misused what the tengu taught him. He
  caused so much trouble that he was confronted by
  another ninja, Dana Kurayama" (Nada whispers
  to you that he was her ancestor), "who killed
  Sanchiro. As Sanchiro was dying, he vowed re-
  venge on the Kurayama. When your dojo received
  the sword it inflamed the ninja's vengeful komi,
  and his vow was set in motion. "
  "How can we counteract it?" you ask.
  "Give me the sword," the Sea Queen answers.
  "The komi's anger will drain away."
  Nada hands the sword to the Sea Queen. The
  Queen thanks her. Nada bows low and responds,
  "We should thank you for solving our problem,
  and for allowing us to be guests in your palace. "
  The Queen waves her hand. "Just do not tell
  anyone you have seen me."
  You and Nada turn and are led from the palace,
  wondering if the sensei will believe your story.
  The End
  
  "Just a quick look," Nada says.
  You take Nada down the hall, pause atthe door,
  then step inside. The door swings closed behind
  you. It is pitch dark in the room, and the air is
  heavy.
  "l can feel it in here-the presence of the komi!"
  Nada whispers.
  You light a match. The broken shards of the urn
  are still on the floor, but the corpse is gone!
  You hear a scraping sound at the other end of
  the vault. You and Nada creep toward it, the match
  illuminating a tiny space in front of you. Finally,
  you reach the back wall. You can see nothing else,
  just three stone walls.
  "This is not an ordinary wall," Nada says, her
  hands feeling the stone. She directs the match to a
  crack in the corner. "lt's a secret doorway." She
  pushes it, and part of the wall swivels open.
  "How could you tell?" you ask.
  Nada stops for a moment. "There's something
  I've never told you which I guess you'd better
  know now, " she says. "Before I began aikido, I
  had another kind of training-ninjutsu. My family
  has been a ninja clan for many centuries. So have
  the Miyamotori. "
  91
  She pauses while you absorb this revelation.
  Ninja were supposed to have amazing powers, not
  only in the martial arts, but in techniques of invisi-
  ble movement and even sorcery.
  "So we may be dealing with a ninja?" you say.
  "Possibly, " Nada says. "lt's still hard to tell what
  this is all about. "
  "Maybe we should go back to the archives,"
  you suggest. "We may find something in our re-
  search that will help us figure this out before we fall
  into some kind of hap."
  "Yes, " Nada replies, "except that if we're on its
  trail, I'd hate to lose it. "
  lf you push t'or going back to the archioes,
  turn to poge 102.
  IJ you decide it's a good idea to go into the
  secret passage, turn to page 22.
  Go on to the next page.
  
  92
  On the plane, you stash the sword safely in the
  overhead luggage compartment. The plane taxis
  down the runway and soon you are on your way to
  San Francisco. But you are not in the air long
  before a passenger walking past your seat hips and
  falls for no apparent reason. Then a stewardess
  suddenly upends a tray full of breakfast all over
  your lap, causing you to jump around as hot tea
  soaks through your clothes.
  Things seem to calm down after breakfast, but
  then a ruckus starts in the overhead compartment.
  You open the door. The viola case is bouncing
  furiously against the walls inside. The pilot comes
  over the speaker and says, "Ladies and gen-
  flemen, I'm sorry to report that our engines are
  failing. We're going to make a crash landing in the
  ocean. Please fasten your seat belts. I've radioed
  for help. "
  The stewardesses move aboutthe cabin quickly,
  making preparations and calming the screaming
  passengers. The plane plunges. Miraculously, no
  one is hurt in the crash landing. Rafts are inflated,
  emergency doors are opened, and the occupants
  of the plane are evacuated. In the confusion, Nada
  grabs the sword.
  f
  i
  I
  z
  Turn to page 97.
  
  94
  You toss the firecrackers in front of the last two
  Yakuzi. They go off in sequence, sending staccato
  reports through the gorge.
  The effect is better than you hoped for. The
  horses rear and turn, and the other Yakuzi panic at
  the sound. "We're surrounded!" one cries. They
  turn and flee, following the two on horseback.
  Nada and Sashami allow them to escape, making
  sure their horses stay behind.
  You climb out of the tree. and Nada congratu-
  Iates you on the firecracker tactic. "lt was a brilliant
  application of the technique of illusion, " she says.
  "When hopelessly outnumbered, create the illu-
  sion of having greater numbers. "
  Sashami bows to both of you. "Had I known I
  haci such skilled ninja as allies, I would not have
  hesitated to confront the Yakuzi. "
  "Do you think they'll come back?" you ask.
  "Oh no," Sashami assures you. "They won't
  return after the treatment we gave them" "
  Sashami goes on to explain he is a ysnin-a
  kind of freelance samurai who has no master and
  havels about looking for what work he can find.
  "With your help, I've fulfilled my obligation to the
  village. Now Iwillfulfillmy obligation to you. Iam
  at your service."
  "We're alltired from the fight. Let's make camp
  and discuss this in the morning, " Nada says.
  Turn to page 72.
  95
  . You move slowly into the middle of the circle,
  hoping your improvised dance doesn't look too
  -fynny to the yomobushi. But then you get an idea.
  Io.y utlout your dilemma for them. Hllf-singing,
  half-.talkng as you dance, you tell of your s"i.clh
  for the ninja, the meeting with the Mikiaka sisters,
  and Nada's abduction by the tengu. As the song
  comes to an end, you pose the question, ,,Can
  anyone tell me how to rescue my friend?,,
  .The yomobushi clap and cheer appreciatively
  after your performance. Anxiously you look for
  the one who invited you in. "What ibbut my ques-
  tion?" you cry when you find him.
  "Few can outwit the tengu," he answers simply.
  "You'lljust have to hope he takes pity on you.-,,
  He pulls you back into the circle, andreluciantly
  you join the merriment while you hy to figure out
  what to do. But somehow as you dance you forget
  yourtroubles. You are given severalgifts, including
  a string of pearls and a dragon's head hat. you
  don't remernber falling asleep.
  You awake alone in the clearing beside the
  smoldering ashes of the fire. Everything is gone.
  The -pearls are drops of water and thJ dragon's
  head a mere trinket.
  You get to your feet shakily. Suddenly a strong
  wind comes up. It swirls into a whirlwind that liftl
  you off the ground and carries you to the top of the
  mountain, depositing you at the foot of a cryp-
  tomeria tree. You hear laughter from the branches
  of the tree above you. You look up--and see Nada
  and the tengu flying down to join you.
  Turn to page 26
  
  96
  "What's our strategy when we get to the top of
  the ladder?" you ask Nada.
  "lt will require you to go to the limit of your
  defensive skill," Nada says. "You climb the ladder
  first. I'll be a few feet behind you. You must be
  ready for anything at the top. If you can hold it off
  {or just a few seconds, that will give me my chance
  to grab it. Be prepared-it will probably be ex-
  hemely vicious. "
  You nod, take a moment to prepare yourself,
  and begin climbing the ladder. You reach the top
  and carefully you feei what is above you.
  "lt's a trap door," you whisper to Nada.
  "Okay, " she whispers back. "Open it . . now!"
  You push open the door and immediately swing
  away from it, one hand still holding the ladder.
  Something-it Ieels like the jaws of an animal-
  grabs your arm. You see Nada catapult straight up
  past you as if shot out of a cannon. A second later
  there is a bright flash, then puffs of smoke.
  "Come on up," Nada says, coughing in the
  smoke. "He used a smoke bomb to get away."
  You untangle the thing around your arm-it's a
  kusan-fundo, a chain with metal weights on each
  end-and climb ihrough the trap door. As the
  smoke clears, you find you're on a parapet. Below
  are the ramparts, walls, and courtyards of the cas-
  fle. There is no sign of your attacker.
  "l have no doubt now that we are dealing with a
  ninja, " Nada says. "Why he's attacking us, I don't
  know. But he managed to escape our counter-
  trap. Now we need a new strategy. "
  Turn to page 704.
  97
  A few hours later a freighter arrives to pick you
  up. Once on board, some passengers laugh and
  some cry in relief. But after a few minutes a high
  piercing note comes from inside the viola case.
  The capta 
  announces, "l hate to
  say this fo 
  es are malfunctioning.
  Stand by 
  he trouble. "
  Everyone glares at you. The stewardess whc
  spill 
  says, "Look here, I
  don 
  that viola case, but
  I've 
  his. Eitheritgoesor
  you
  "No!" Nada cries. "We can't give up this case.
  We have to find out what's going on!;'
  If you think you should try to conuince Nada to
  throw the sword ouerboard, turn to poge 85.
  If you agree that you must hold on to it,
  turn to page 84.
  
  It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the
  dim green light. When they do, you see you are in
  a large, dusty vault. Suits of armor hang from the
  walls, some of them containing skeletons. But it is
  the big urn in the center of the room that causes
  the rattling as it spins madly on its base. Greenish
  Iights hover above it. It spins faster and faster until
  it topples to the ground, smashing into pieces and
  revealing what is inside-a corpse, whose dead
  white eyes stare at you!
  Hastily you back out of the room, close the
  door, and return to the archives. When Nada re-
  turns you tell her, as calmly and precisely as you
  can, what you just saw.
  "This is very bad, " she says. "We must avoid
  trouble here. We're not welcome guests. We'd bet-
  ter tell Mr. Hatama."
  If you say, "Don't you want to look for yourseff
  first?," turn to page 90.
  lf you agree that Mr Hatoma should be
  consulted, turn to poge 69.
  
  100
  "Let's look for another way around, " you say' "l
  don't like the idea of walking into a trap, even if we
  are p 
  r it."
  "lt 
  foolish to climb the ladder if you
  have doubts, " Nada agrees.
  You and Nacia go back to the intersection of
  passageways and take a right. The passage twists
  and curves, seeming to go nowhere.
  "l've lost irack of where we are," you say.
  "it u;as built to do that," Nada repiies. "We must
  be carefulwhen we finally find a way out of it" The
  nlnja, or whatever ii is" may ktrow exactiy where
  \,ve are going to emerge."
  side, and ive'll see if anyihing is rvaifing for tls""
  Y'ou cross to the wall on the other side- Nada
  swings the door open quickly, then jumps away
  fron, it. L-ight pours in through the opening.
  You wait for five, ten, fifteen minutes. Nothing
  happens. Y'ou don't hear a sound. Carefully you
  and Nada move to the door and through it to a
  stone courtyard. Lying face down in the middle of
  the courtyard is the corpse.
  It' you decide to look at the cor7se,
  turn to poge 81.
  lf you think yau should tell Noda it's time to
  talk to Mr. Hatama about the bizarre euents,
  turn to page 715.
  101
  You and Nada find the letter that came with the
  sword. There is no return address and no sig-
  nature.
  "l don't know how we can track down the
  sender, " Nada says.
  "Can we find the box it came in?"
  After you rnanage to dig up the box the sword
  came in, you check the wrapping paper fcr a
  postmark.
  San Franciscol" you exciaim.
  "Then I guess that's where we're going," Nada
  says. "\,Ve can catch a plane fnom Kyoto irr the
  morning. "
  You and Nada wrap the sword anci pr:t it in a
  viola case to take on the plane to California ybu
  get your ticket at the airporr and head ic tlie
  boarding gate. As you aLiproach the metal cleter:-
  Ior you realize you will have to pass through it with
  :he sword.
  "What are we going to do?" Nada whispers as
  ,ou wait in line. "They'll never let us take the
  sword on the plane. "
  ''lt's too late to go back, " vou say in a low voice.
  lVe can say it's an heirloom. "
  :-ing to get on this flight," she murmurs.
  ''.Maybe this is just a very weird sword," you
  =ply.
  Turn to page 92.
  
  102
  "Let's go back to the archives," you say. "l've
  got a hunch we may furn up something there. "
  You go back through the vault and return to
  your research. Finally your tired eye catches it-
  the ideogram on the sword.
  "Here it is!" you say to Nada. You discover the
  ideogram was the secret crest of a ninja ryu
  founded four hundred years ago by Sanchiro
  Miyamotori. According to legend, Sanchiro was
  taught the art of ninjutsu, as well as sorcery, by a
  tengu-a mythical long-nosed, winged creature
  supposed to live in trees in the mountains. The
  tengu gave Sanchiro a sword, which was the
  source of his powers.
  Sanchiro exercised his power to accumulate a
  large amount of land and wealth. But one day he
  was cut down by another ninja named Dana
  Kurayama-an ancestor of Nada's. Sanchiro died
  cursing the Kurayama clan and vowing revenge.
  "That's the answer!" Nada cries. "The force
  disturbing our dojo is the kami of Sanchiro
  Miyamotori. When we received his sword, it in-
  flamed the desire for revenge. Whoever sent us the
  sword wanted to stir up trouble between our fam-
  ilies. I'm sure that what was in the vault was the
  komiin another form, trying to lure us into a hap. "
  "Then maybe if we return the sword to the
  Miyamotori-" you begin.
  "Yes!" Nada exclaims. "Good idea. I'm sure
  they'd be pleased to get it back. Not only will it
  calm the komi, but it could be the beginning of a
  reconciliation between our families. "
  The End
  103
  You pull a shunken from your/uroshikiand let it
  fly at the tengu.lt hits his wing. causing him to howl
  in surprise. He glares at you with flashing eyes, and
  shrieks, "How dare you!"
  The tengu iets go of Nada and rises into the air,
  his injured wing flapping weakly" Your rush on to
  the bridge to help Nada. The tengw laughs. Sud-
  denly the bridge bursts into flame. It is quickly
  consumed in the fire, and you and Nada plunge
  into the ravine.
  The End
  
  104
  "Why don't we split up?" you suggest. "That
  way we have a better chance of finding him, and
  he can't attack us both at once. "
  "All right, " Nada agrees. "But be careful. Try to
  be abtuned to sokki, io the force of the killer. Let's
  meet here in hventy minutes if we find no clues. "
  You nod, and the tu,o of you split up to look for
  the ninja. You climb down the parapet and go
  along one of the stone ramparts, moving with ho-
  rogei. You follow the rampart to an outer running
  wall, from whlch you can survey the tiled roofs and
  curved gables of the castle. On the otherside of the
  u.,all is a iong, sheer drop into a ravine.
  Suddenly you roll to the left, dropping off the
  wall and hanging on to the top of it by your hands.
  A black-clad figure lands for a second at the spot
  you just left, but his momentum-which he ex-
  pected you to break---carries him off the wall and
  into the ravine below. As he goes by, you see his
  eyes are the white eyes of the corpse.
  You pull yourself back up on the wall anci callto
  Nada. You tell her what happened" "l don't know
  how I knew he was coming," you say. "l didn't
  think about it. I just got out of the way."
  "That's sokki, " Nada says.
  "What about the corpse?" you wonder. "How
  could it attack me?"
  "l think the kami must have possessed the body
  of the dead man in order to attack us. But I still
  don't know why the ninja wanted to kill us."
  "We'd better get cut of here, " you say. "l'll bet
  the sensei will have some ideas. "
  The End
  jl|ilil
  liiillil
  'tllii,,
  llilii lilltil
  illlii\l[
  
  106
  You by to explain to the lava creatures that you
  must keep the sword to find out what force is at-
  tacking Nada's dojo. Meanwhile, Nada begins to
  row away from the shore.
  "Come back!" the voices cry. "You must give us
  the sword. It will only cause more disruption!"
  The voices fade as you pull away from the is-
  land. You catch a current that takes you out to the
  open sea again. But you don't feel as if you're
  drifting. Something seems to be puiling you, and it
  is getting stronger. The boat moves faster and
  faster toward the source of the current.
  Finally you catch a glimpse of what is drawing
  you-a huge whirlpoolin the sea! You hy to row
  away from it, but you are firmly in its grip. You feel
  as if you're going over a waterfallas you're sucked
  over the edge of the gigantic whirlpool. Into the
  maelshom you rush, spinning down, down, down.
  You cover your head in a fruitless gesture as the
  great weight of the water closes over you.
  When you open your eyes you and Nada are
  amazed to find yourselves in an underwater palace
  festooned with seaweed. Three white-scaled
  dragon-women are pulling your boat through the
  grand phosphorescent corridors of the palace.
  You are led to a throne, ',vhere a woman wear-
  ing a crown with a serpent on it is sitting on a
  cushion playing the biwa, a stringed inshument.
  The woman looks up and greets you, saying, "You
  are probably wondering where you are. Do not be
  afraid. I am the Sea Queen, and this is my palace. "
  "Did you bring us down here?" you ask.
  "Yes," the Sea Queen replies. "l have some-
  thing important to ask of you."
  Turn to page 89.
  rc7
  Nada grabs you at the same moment that you
  decide to stay back. "We can't meddle, " she says.
  "The other nlnja will cio better without us."
  "l just realizei that." you reply.
  The battle beh,rreen the hvo ninja begins. You
  can baiely foilow the quick succession of sword
  moves, parries, and jumps before the otlrer ninja
  cuts down Sanchiro.
  Sashami leaps out to congratulate the ninja. but
  when the ninja sees him, he runs into the wooCs.
  You and Nada creep into the clearing.
  "l-istenl" you say. "Sanchiro's sayir',g some-
  thing. "
  You hear Sanchiro's dying words: a curse of re-
  venge on the Kurayama family--Nada's familyl
  "The other ninja must have been my ancestor, "
  Nada says. ''We've witnessed the origin of the
  korni's vow of revenge. When our dojo got the
  sword, it must have set the vow into acflon. "
  "Can we counteract it?" you ask.
  "We can try," Nada says. She goes through a
  series of finger signs similar to the ones ycu saw
  when she brought you irrio the past with her"
  When she is finished, she turns to you and says.
  "Even if my kuji doesn't work, now that we know
  the oriqin of the curse, I ihink we'li be able to offset
  it with the sensei's help. "
  Meanwhiie. Sashami returns and says sheep-
  ishly, "l guess I scared away the ninja."
  "No mattet" you say. "Wiihout your help, we
  never could have solved our problem."
  You say gocd-bye to Sashami and prepare tc
  return to the dojo.
  The End
  
  108
  Leaving the sword for later, you spring for the
  ninja, who appears to be having trouble getting up.
  But suddenly he turns and flings something in
  your face that causes your eyes to burn. At the
  same time, you hear Nada attack the other two.
  The ninja disappears, but a few seconds later you
  are thrown on your back from behind, and the
  sword is put to your abdomen.
  "Stopl" the ninja cries to Nada. "l've got your
  frienci!"
  You and Nada are tied up and taken back to the
  ninja's castle. Because your adversary knows ali
  the methods of escape, there is no chance for you
  and Nada to get away. After a few days in the
  dungeon, you are brought before the ninja in his
  chamber. You are made to kneel ai the foot of the
  platform on which he sits.
  "To be frank. " he says, "you surprised us. We
  were lying in wait for someone else. We still can't
  figure out where you came from, but it is obvious
  you are skilled ninja. Perhaps fate wanted us to
  meet. "
  "What do you mean?" you ask.
  "We want you to join us. It is a great opportunity
  for you. I have learned many powers from atengu
  in the mountains, and with the sword he gave me I
  am invincible. Already, as you can see, we have
  accumulated much land and wealth. We willaccu-
  mulate more. "
  "And if we don't want to join you?" Nada asks.
  The ninja shrugs. "Then you will die. "
  The End
  109
  Deciding it's better to stay away from the
  haunted well, you return to have breakfast with
  Nada. After you eat, you set off up the mountain to
  find Gyoja.
  You search all day, but can find no sign of the
  yamabushi. You are about to give up when you
  catch sight of a small shrine hidden in the trees.
  There you find a tiny, withered oid man with long
  hair and a conch trumpet at his side. He looks
  startled when you approach him.
  "Even here you find me!" he exclaims. "l've
  been avoiding you all day, trying to do my work.
  Whatever you want, it must be important. "
  "lt is," Nada says, bowing. She relates the de-
  tails of the situation atthe dojo, as wellas the attack
  by the ninja and his sword.
  "Yukio thought you might be able to help us, "
  Nada concludes.
  Turn to page 86.
  
  110
  You ignore the kofo music and continue up the
  mountain, your eyes fixed on the tengu-bi. The
  lights seem to grow brighter and brighter as you
  climb through the night.
  When you reach the ridge just below the tengu-
  bi, the lights suddenly burst into a web of lightning
  bolts. They flash madly, covering the sky above
  you, illuminating the landscape. Thunder cracks
  and booms. A wild, whirling wind whips the trees
  into frenzied motion.
  You look for some place to take cover, but the
  r,vind and lightning seem to peneirate everything.
  Then out of the skv swoops the tengu. his eyes
  blazing, sparks flying from his wings, claws poised.
  You turn and run down the mountain. The tengu
  flies after you, swooping in on your head, then
  pulling away at the last second, over and over
  again. Finally he cries, "l thought you could do
  better than this!"
  He pulls away, and a wind funnel of sticks and
  rocks picks you up off the mountain, carries you
  out across the range, across the Sea ofJapan, and
  deposits you in a tiny village below the Great Wall
  of China.
  The End
  
  Lt2
  "No!" Nada whispers sharply as you rush for-
  ward with Sashami's sword. She hies to grab you,
  but misses. This distracts the other ninja, and in a
  flash Sanchiro strikes. The ninja falls.
  Then Sanchiro turns to face you. You come at
  him-and with your first strike, your sword breaks
  in two on his. You realize you've made a terrible
  mistake. Sanchiro's sword has some kind of mag-
  ical power, and there is nc way you'll be able to
  defend yourself against it.
  The End
  113
  You grab the sword and slip back out the win-
  dow. You climb over the castle wall and return
  undetected to Nikkya's house.
  You knock on the door. Nikkya answers and
  motions for you to keep quiet. "l think Nada will
  pull through, " she whispers, "but she must sleep.
  You can talk to her in the morning. "
  Although you're impatient to show Nada the
  sword, you realize the old woman is right. Ex-
  hausted yourself, you soon fall asleep.
  In the morning you find Nada weak but other-
  wise recovering well. You tell her of your exploits
  and show her the sword. But her reaction is not
  what you expect.
  "l'm very impressed that you were able to get
  the sword, " she says, "but I'm not sure how it will
  help us. After all, we already have it-in our
  time-at the dojo. What we really need to find out
  is the source of the disturbance. We still don't
  know that. "
  "You're right, " you say. "l didn't think of it that
  way."
  "lVell, Nikkya had some helpful information.
  After she fixed up my wound, she told me that the
  castle bektngs to Sanchiro Miyamotori. The
  Miyamotori were enemies of my farnily for a long
  time. That rnay help us figure out what is going on.
  All we can do now is return to our time and hope
  the sensei can help us put things together. "
  The End
  
  tL4
  "No thanks," you say to theyamabushi. "l have
  to rescue my friend. "
  Quickly you slip back into the woods and head
  for the road. But you can't seem to find it. You
  keep searching in the dark, until youreallze you're
  going in circles. Exhausted and bleeding from
  fighting through the thicket, you finally collapse in
  sleep.
  You wake up the next morning and decide to
  forget about the road and to hike straight up the
  mountain. All morning you bushwack through the
  dense wood. Finally you come to a clearing on top
  of a ridge.
  What you see causes you to draw in your breath
  sharply. There is nothing but water allaround you.
  You are on top of an island, a lone mountain sitting
  in the middle of the blue ocean. You have a feeling
  some kind of sorcery brought you here-maybe
  the yamobushi taking revenge for your refusal to
  join them-but you have no idea how you're
  going to get back to civilization.
  The End
  u5
  "This is getting very strange, " you say to Nada.
  "l think we'd better tell Mr. Hatama about it. "
  "l suppose you're right," Nada replies. "lf the
  Miyamotori family catches us here with this corpse,
  we'll be in a lot of trouble."
  You and Nada begin to walk out of the court-
  yard to look for Mr. Hatama. A slight sound makes
  you look behind you. You turn just in time to see
  the corpse, wearing a horrible demon rnask, bring-
  ing a sword down at your neck.
  The End
  
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  JAY LEIBOLD was born in Denver, Colorado.
  He has also written Sabotoge, Grand Conyon
  Odyssey, Spy t'or George Washin1on, The
  Aniimoier Fo,rmula, and Begond the Greot Woll
  for the Choose Your Own Adventure series.
  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
  in New York CitY, where he
  drawings in a little aPart-
  s and musical instruments.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Gamebook/Choose your own Adventure/CYOA 066 - Secret-of-the-Ninja.pdf