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@

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 KIDS CAN'T STOP READING
THE CHOOSE YOUR
OWN ADVENTURE@ STORIES!
"Choose Your. Own Adventure is the best thing
z.
that has come along since books-themselves. "
E Beyer, age 11
I
-Alysha
tn
[n "l didn't read much before, but now I read my
UJ
I
Choose Your Own Adventure books almost every
ru night. "
{[n --{hris Brogan, age 13
tr "l love the contoll have overwhat happens next. "
Lrr
t^It Efstathiou, age 17
Vil-/-h
v ,/ - .1-. F,
-Kosta
"Choose Your Own Advefiture books are so much
ru-z4l
tnr'
fun to read and collect-l want them all!"
Davln, age 11
E -Brendan

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!

\,l
o
\^

-U
 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.
RL 5, lL age 10 and uP Your choices will determine whether you succeed
SECRET OF THE NINJA in solving the mystery.
A Bontom Bcr,k I APril 198-7^ ^^
5 Prinfings throughFebruory 198E
you'llencounter the secret
As you search for clues,
and sometimes magical world of the ninja. You
'g"o,?,*';g'Jgfi,Y,Jffi,Jj'rk:"r:;:tr;!"X;*ts'i\!
- and elsewhere'
may even have to become a ninja yourself. You are
Oiginol conception ol Edward Pockod 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"
ililtiiri,lii'iiiaiipiiig, reco'dlns, or bv
tiii'iiiadpviig,,",o'dins,..o' 9!! il[?f ,o:i"'
by onv inlormotion
permsslon ln
storigb ond reiieuol system, t'ithout
iritinq tr;^ the Publ5her' -
For inlormoion addre'ss: Bontam Books'
lsBN 0-5s3-27565-8
ond Conodo
Publlshed simuttoneously in the lJnited Stoks

Bontam Books are

Bontom DoubledoY
consistinq ol the w
o rcat{r, is Registe
in other countnes
Aoenue. New Yo*,
OF AMERICA
PRINTED IN THE UNTTED STATES

o 14131211
r
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 GLOSSARY
m"ountain beings called
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- Shugendo-A Japanese mountain
religion incor_
bling a zither. porating ascetic practic_es
and riagic. The
Kuji-Ninja sorcery. Sometimes described as traditional founder U Snulenjo-t,
"nine hands cutting" or "nine syllables." En no
Ozunu, sometimes .uff"a"En io
Gyola.
Mystic finger positions channel energy. Practitioners of Shu!"ra. aii
cailed
Kusari-fundo-Ninja weapon; a length of chain yamabushi.
with weights at either end. Shuriken-A metal throwing blade,
often star_
Miko-A priestess or maiden in service of a shrine; shaped.
also, a sorceress. Tatarigami-Ritual trance.
Ninja-An adept at the art of ninjutsu. Iengu-Mythical creatures supposed
to have first
Ninjutsu-The "art of stealth" or "way of invis- tau.ShJ ninja their art. Sometimes
portrayed
ibility. " An unconventional discipline incor- as helpful but mischieror..-oi["Iiirnn,
porating martial arts, special weapons, devilish, tengu are
u,
techniques of concealment, and sorcery. noses
Rojo-House mishess, woman in charge of the of an
domestic staff. nails.
Ronin-Literally, "man tossed by the waves. " A leaves s in the mountains, and,
freelance samurai who had no master and according to on9 description,
usually no consistent employment. oensed spirit of the principle
i." il"
.on-
of yin, or
Ryu-School or tradition of martial arts. darkness.
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.
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 3

Nada casts a sidelong glance at you as if to say' 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. "

urgently to Nara this morning'

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

Turn to Page 4- in time, turn to page 77.
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 h.3\,
with all manner of swords, staffs, and blades. N'
Nada pieces together a bow from her/uroshiki
and disables two of the ninja with arrows before lrhr
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. l&^#1
For a moment you hesitate between getting the N/X:
sword while it's loose and preventing the ninja *urUN",
from rising again.

N\ir4,j
lf you go for the sword, turn to page 78. \MP
It' you go for the the ninja, turn to page 108.
 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.
remain calm."
"What do you mean?" you ask.
"Didn't you hear the thunder today?" Nada in- "How can we know where to go? We must let
sists impatientlY. ourselves wander, and sooner or later we'll find
-tme
"lt is thit in the old days such a storm was 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 74. turn to page 82.
10 1l

,,,

Sanchiro brings the sword down. It strikes your You turn to Nada and say, "l guess we showed
neck, and the tip breaks off. He looks at the broken him. "
blade in disbeliei then looks at you and slowly Nada nods. "Let's go back to the dojo."
realizes what has happened. Suddenly he looks
very scared. He drops the sword and flees into the The End
woods.
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
Go on to the next page. into the past, turn to page 40.
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 L7

You follow a road that climbs slowly toward the "How can we go into the past?" you ask.
mountains. "Well," Nada says, "first I must tell you some-
In the afternoon you reach a mountain village of thing. Do you remember when we first met, one of
thatched houses shrouded in dense evergreen the things that brought us together was our interest
trees. A hush hangs over the village. in moving beyond aggressive forms of bujutsu,
"Everyone's probably working in the fields," martial arts, in favor of aikido? We talked about
Nada whispers. how aikido provided a way to integrate our phys-
Finally you meet up with an old man who directs ical, mental, and spiritual energies, and how it
you to a trail that leads up the mountain to the drew on inner balance to give us not only a means
house of the Mikiaka sisters, who are miko. As you of self-defense, but also a way to live. In your case,
climb you ask Nada what a miko is. it was karate that you left behind. "
"Some miko are priestesses who tend shrines," "And you too," you put in.
she answers. "Others are sorceresses. Some are "That's not entirely true. You see, my family has
even ninja. " for many centuries been a ninja clan. I was trained
The hail ends at a sagging little cottage perched in ninjutsu."
on the mountainside. You knock twice on the It takes a moment for this to sink in. Then you
door. It is opened by a bent woman with iron-gray ask, "Why did you stop?"
hair. "What do you want?" she demands. "One never really stops," Nada replies. "l just
"Pardon, honorable miko, we are hoping you wanted to focus on aikido. But I did put away my
can answer a question for us, " Nada says. tools of ninjutsu.l was afraid of what was happen-
"Don't stand in the doonrray, sister, let them in, " ing-afraid I was on a violent path. It's the old
you hear a voice say from inside. problem: if you invest too much time in learning
Grumbling, the woman at the door moves aside the techniques of death, you tend to want to use
and allows you to enter. A tall, shaight-backed them. Perhaps some day, when I am wiser, I will
woman with pure white hair greets you. "Sit resume my haining."
down, honored guests, and have a cup of tea. My You nod, absorbing this information. You'd
name is Yukio, and this is my sister, Gin' " heard amazing stories about the ninja from your
"We are honored, " Nada says, bowing and in- mother. In addition to bujufsu, ninja were sup-
troducing herself and you. posed to be skilled at stealth, invisibility, and even
You show the women the markings on the magic. You'd always been curious to learn more
sword. "We understand you are miko," you say. about ninjutsu-and now it turns out your best
"Can you tell us where this comes from?" friend is a ninja!

TArn b poge 27. Turn to page 72.

18 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.
- NJu
and escapes with his accomPlices' You and Nada stand at the branching paths. "l
immediately sees your condition when don't know which direction is better," Nada says.
she comes to check on you. She twists her fingers "You choose."
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. "

It' you turn left, toward the mountoins,
turn to page 16.

lf you turn right, into the uolley,

Go on to the next Page' turn to page 31.
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. "
"Nu.
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.

22
You follow Nada through the secret door. You and start prying the
find yourselves in a long, narrow passageway. back. The fengu just
You silently feel your way through the darkness' ay with a wing, then flies
You listen closely for sounds ahead of you.
You come to an intersection where you feelout the bridge to
passageways small You mana
soundto your follow bridge and ge
the passage u along to find Nada
the walls. regdy darkness is setting in.
"l've found something," Nada whispers after a . You.take of{yp the paih. The light slowly drains
from the world around yor, unE soon you are
minute. "lt's just within my reach. I think it's the
bottom rung of a rope ladder. " She reaches up, feeling your way among murky shapes al-ong the
grabs the rung, and starts to pull herself up. path.
"Waitl" you say. "Don't you think there's some- Rumbling comes from the mountaintop. in
thing strange about this?" gl. ,you catch signt of
"What do you mean?" Nada asks. a among the tees
"There are always just enough clues to keep us hi ge to your right' Tengu-
on the trail. It's as if whatever is in front of us uonfs bi, you think.
us to keep following. I feellike we're being lured' I .. Y9u pick up your pace, but suddenly your atten-
think maybe it's tracking us, not the other way tion is caught by a sound in the *ooai. It seems
around. " incredible, but what you hear is a kofo_a silk_
"You might be right, " Nada says. "But we're so stringed instrument like a zither. you,ve never
close to it now, I don't want to lose it." heard music so eerily beautiful. It seems to trickle
"l'll bet it's waiting for us at the top, " you argue. from the stars and trees. You wonder if whoever is
"lt'll have us just where it wants us, and we won't playing might be able to help you with the tengu.
be able to escape. "
"Tiue," Nada says, "butwe have the advantage
of knowing it's a trap. We can devise a strategy. "
If you go toward the koto music, hoping it
lf you ogree to go aheod and climb the lodder might leod you to the tengu,
turn to page 96. go on to the next poge.

If you tell Noda you want to try o diJt'erent way, lf you keep going after the tengu-bi,
turn to page 100. turn to page 710.
24 25
Pushing aside branches and bushes, you make "There is time for questions later, " he interrupts,
your way through the woods toward the music. pulling you into the circle. "Now is the time to
When you get closer you see firelight playing on dance. Come dance for us. "
the treetops ahead of you. You come to the edge of The music stops and then a new, slower song
a clearing, where you find an astounding scene: a begins. "Dance!" lhe yamabushi cry eagerly.
ring of yomobushi with sparkling eyes are dancing
in the firelight, drinking sake, and feasting on fish
and rice. If you decide to dance, turn to poge 95.
One of lhe yamabushi sees you and motions for
you to join in. You begin to say, " l just want to ask a If you would rather leaue quickly,
question-" turn to page 774.
26 27
"l'm glad you enjoyed yourself with my friends "The markings are an ideogram of some kind.
last night, " lhe tengu says, a sparkle in his eyes. Wherever it came from, it's evil," Gin says.
"We especially enjoyed your dance!" "We think it belongs to a ninja clan or ryu,"
"We were there in the form of. yomabushi," Nada explains.
Nada explains. "lt was an excellent perfor- "lt does resemble the crest of the Miyamotori,"
mance-which is lucky for me, because if you Yukio says. "But I'm afraid we can't help you
hadn't joined in, I would have been stuck here as more than that. I'lltell you what you should do. A
Xenglu's servant for the rest of my life. " wise old yamabushi named Gyoja lives higher up
"A pity too," Xenglu says. "We've been getting on the mountain. I'm sure he could tell you-"
along so well. Nada has told me all about the ninja "No, no, " Gin interrupts. "lf it's ninja you want
you fought with-a man who, ['m sorry to say, to know about, you must seek out the tengu on the
learned his powers from me. " mountain across the ravine. The ninja first learned
"The ninja's name is Sanchiro Miyamotori," their art from tengu."
Nada says. "My family and the Miyamotori were "That's a terrible idea," Yukio objects. "You
enemies for a long time. According to Xenglu, should avoid the tengu. They like to play tricks,
Sanchiro's komi has been harassing our dojo. He and their tricks are not funny. "
put a curse on our family. " "What's a tengu?" you whisper to Nada. "And
"l gave him his sword," Xenglu explains. "Once what's a yamabushi?"
we take away its power, the curse will be lifted. "A yamabushi is a mountain priest," Nada ex-
Here's what you must do. You and Nada will meet plains quickly. " A tengu is a creature that's sup-
up with Sanchiro on a country road. You'll be posed to look like an old man with a long beak and
dressed as farmers. Sanchiro will demand that you wings and know shong magic."
move out of his way. Do not move-let him strike "Tengu are very ornery!" Yukio breaks in.
you." "They set fire to houses, eat babies, and deceive
"lt is time for us to go, " Nada says. She turns to Buddhist monks. I would go to Gyoja. "
Xenglu. "l'm glad we met, but I'm also glad I'm "kngu can be mischievous," Gin admits, "but
leaving. Good-bye. " 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 30. turn to page 44.
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 31

"Good-bye, " Xenglu says sadly. He flaps his No one in the villages along the way seems to
wings and another whirlwilfl kicks up around you, know anything aboutthe ninja. Then you come to
lifting you and Nada off the mountain and out over a drab. unhappy litfle hillside village. The people
the range. "lt's a tengu-kaze," Nada explains. "A look frightened when you ask about the sword.
tengu wind." "Talk to Hitoshi, " they say.
The tengu-kaze deposits you, now dressed in By afternoon you find Hitoshi, a thin young
farmer's clothes, on the road in the broad valley man with darting eyes. You describe the ninja who
below. "Look out, sfupid farmers!" a voice barks attacked you and Nada and ask Hitoshi if he's seen
from behind. them.
You turn slowly to face Sanchiro Miyamotori, "You have found them, " Hitoshi replies He
who is dressed in ninja armor. "l said get out of the gestures to a valley above the village. "They live in
way!" he bellows. a castle up there. But you could never reach it by
Stillyou don't move. He draws his sword. Sud- yourselves. I can take you-if you pay. "
denly you have a fear that this might be Xenglu's You're about to protest that you have nothing to
last trick-to set you up for Sanchiro. 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. "

It' you decide to grab Nodo ond diue out ot' the If you say you should try to t'ind the castle
way, turn to poge 73. yourselues anyway, turn to page 47.

It' you stand your ground, turn to page 70. lf you decide good idea to wait t'or
it's a
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.

v 35
You pick up Nada and carry her toward the You summon your last bit of strength and pull
village. An old woman going by asks, "What hap- your hands apart, shaking off the trance. The
pened to your friend?" gohei drops, and everything goes dark.
You hesitate for a moment, wondering if you When you open your eyes. you are surprised to
should hust her, then say, "She's hurt. A sword find yourself smashed into a corner of the room,
wound. Do you know someone who can help Nada and the sensei straining to pin your limbs to
her?" the ground, Tatsumo pounding you on the back.
"l can," the woman says. "Come with me." When they see you have snapped the trance, they
You follow her to a little hut hidden away from relax their hold. You are drenched with sweat.
the road. She tells you that her name is Nikkya, "Do not get up," Tatsumo says, pushing you
and she is a widow. In the hut she arranges a place back to the floor. "Lie still. " He begins to massage
for Nada, then pushes you away, saying, "Let me your legs, and the sensei your arms.
look at the wound. " "How did you manage to break out of it?" Nada
After she inspects it she announces, "The cut is asks.
bad, but I think I can heat it. She'll have to stay "l don't know, " you say. "l just reallzed I had to
here for several days. I will get the necessary before it was too late. "
things. " '
"lt's a good thing," she replies.
While Nikkya is gone, Nada whispers to you, "Yes, " Tatsumo adds, "you were in the grip of a
stillin pain. "There is only one hope for us. I can very powerful komi. You were lucky to escape it. "
give you some of my powers. You must go to the "What did we find out?" you ask.
casfle and try to find out who the sword belongs to "Enough to convince me we must go into the
and what is causing the attack on the dojo. But you past to track down the origin of the korni," lr-ada
must go right away-you will only have my powers says. "Apparently you were possessed by the komi
for a short while. " of a warrior who lived long ago. As far as we can
You nod. Using the last of her strength, Nada tell, he was enemies with an ancestor of mine, and
fixes you with her eyes and hypnotizes you. After is trying to fulfill a curse against my family. "
she snaps you out of it, she says before passing "So we must go into the past to find out what the
out, "Go quickly. Do not worry about me. Nikkya curse is and try to pacify it," you say.
will help me." "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 37
Soon you hear Sanchiro take his place on the You have no idea how you know this sword
platform at the head of the chamber. "The spy has move-the spinning sword draw-although you
arrived?" he says. "Excellent. Send him in. " A realize that the komi is the one who's actually mak-
minute later Sanchiro says, "So, what news do ing it, not you. You drop down, spin to your rear,
you bring from the Kurayama?" and whip the blade in a horizontal arc. Nada sinks
You listen closely. "Very important news, " the to the floor, and you fall backward.
spy tells Sanchiro. "Dana Kurayama is on his way Suddenly allthe strength leaves your body, like
to fight Vou. He says he can no longer allow you to a torrent flowing out of you. The knowledge you
terroize the countryside. " had just a moment ago is gone.
Sanchiro laughs. "Good for him! I am glad my With horror you finally understand what has
old enemy comes to face me. With my sword, I happened. The kami is leaving your body, vic-
have no reason to fear him. " torious. Nada is dead. And you will soon have a
"He is not far from here, " the spy goes on. "We murder charge to face.
think he'll arrive tomorrow morning. "
"Very good, " Sanchiro says. "But I will not wait The End
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.
38
You run out into the night, back to the place
tl tililt
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 tAllr
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.

40 4t
"l think we should go into the past," you say. You start down the ladder. furyttu descend, the
"But how can I come with you?" voice says, "My name is Yayoi. I was on a pil-
"Saiminjutsu," lhe sensei answers. "Similar to grimage with my mistress, a merchant woman
what you would call hypnotism, only much more from down in the valley. On the way, she broke a
powerful. It will enable you to accompany Nada. " vase and was afraid her husband would punish
You have one more question. "How will we her, so she pushed me into this well. Then she told
know what time and place to go to?" everyone I'd stolen it and that I felt such remorse
"The markings on the sword may help us out," that I'd committed suicide by jumping in the well.
Nada replies. "We'll copy them down to take with "My soul is in this mirror, " Yayoi goes on as you
us. But it's not like setting a clock. Mainly, the en- reach the bottom of the ladder. " If you take it out of
ergy vibrating from the kami's presence and the here, it will be set free. Also, you may find the
sword will direct us. " mirror will help you."
"Before you go, " the sensei says, "you will have - You dive into the water and refreve the mirror.
to do some preparation. You'll have to learn some Carrying it under one arm, you again make the
of the basic techniques of ninjutsu. You will also long climb back up the well. By the time you reach
need to learn the customs and manners of the past the top, you're exhausted.
so that you will not seem too much a shanger." "So there you are!" Nada cries. "What were you
The next week is spent preparing to set out on doing in the well? Yukio warned us about it. "
your search into the past. During the day you train You hand Nada the mirror and collapse on the
in ninjutsu with Nada and the sensei, and at night ground. "l rescued a ghost, " you say when you've
you study Japanese history. The senseimmmages recovered your breath. You tell her the story,
up some clothes that will enable you to pass for adding, "The ghost said the mirror would help
carpenters, which will give you an excuse to be us. "
traveling, since farmers were not supposed to "l just hope you're not bewitched, " Nada com-
leave their land. He also provides each of you with ments. A moment later she blurts out. "Hey, look
a furoshiki which you use to carry your gear. at this!"
Finally the day arrives. Nada sits you down on a You sit up. Nada is looking at the mirror. In the
bench in the dojo. After meditating together, she glass you see the five ninja who attacked you, led
stands opposite you and fixes you with her eyes. by the one with the sword.
Using the techniques of saiminjutsu, she has you "They're on the road down in the valley," Nada
count down with her, "Nine, eight, seven, six . . " 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 45

"Finding Gyoja is probably safer," you say' You close your eyes and try to relax and let your
"lndeed it is," Yukio agrees. mind drift back into the dream. "l don't know. . . .
"He's just an old monk," Gin remarks' "He I wanted you to admit you'd done some wrong. I
won't be able to help you with ninja." wanted an apology or reparation. "
"Go back down to the village, " Yukio instructs "Some kind of compensation?"
you. "Behind the biggest cedar you'll find.a path' It "Sort of. . . . More like an offering. To make
leads up the mountain to an abandoned monas- peace."
tery. Gyoja occasionallY not "Of course!" Nada savs. "We should have real-
find him you can spend t erY' izeditlong ago. The kami, which was killed by -y
"ln the morning," Yu can ancestor, wants a shrine. "
look for Gyoja higher up on the mountain' " You open your eyes. "A shrine?"
You and Nada-bow and thank the sisters for "l think Nada is right. The solution is to build a
their help. As you leave, Yukio calls out, "Oh, I shrine, " Tatsumo says. "lt is the concept of goryo
forgot totell you-do not go near the well at the shinko. If someone, especially a warrior, dies with
moiastery, for it is haunted. Good luck!" resentment, his spirit will seek revenge. Re-
Nada follows you down to the village, where member, during your trance you told us this komi
you find the path beh belonged to a warrior who vowed revenge as he
the mountain again. T died at the hands of one of Nada's ancestors. Now
and dells to a flat ridge the komi is back to get it. But if we build a shrine,
finally reach the monas his anger will be absorbed. "
brush and its walls are "How strange, " you muse, "to build a shrine to
There is no sign of Gyoja, so you and Nada eat your enemies" "
some rice cakes and prepare to sleep'
"lt may seem strange, " Nada says, "but it hap-
"This place is sPookY, " You saY. pens all the time. "
In the morning, the monastery seems more "Unfortunately, " the sensei adds, "we'll have to
cheerful. Walking around the building while Nada keep you under watch until the shrine is built. "
prepares breakfast, you find an old stone well' It You nod in understanding. But already you feel
doesn't look haunted, you think, and you're curi- thatthe venom of the komiis draining, and you are
ous about what Yukio meant. returning to yourself.

The End
lf gou decide to look into the well,
turn to Page 33.

lf you decide You'd better not,

turn to Page 709'
 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
48
49

water.

The End

arnve.

TUrn to page 36.

A
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 53
Waiting until the last two Yazuki horsemen are You stay in the kance, giving rein to whatever
direcfly underneath, you spring from the branch. force is using yotir body. Like a raging storm it
But your timing isn't as good as Nada's. You batters everything in its path, although you can't
make just enough noise as you spring that one of tell how much of it is really happening and how
the samurai looks up and sees you at the last sec- much is just happening inside your head.
ond. He knocks you away from him as you de- You soon find out. You're aware of acute bodily
scend. You hit the ground hard. Your last thought pain. Slowly yourealize that the pain is from blows
as his sword comes down is the hope that Nada delivered by Nada and the sensei-and that
can somehow escape and finish the task on her you're returning the blows. You feela terrible hate
own. for the sensei and especially for Nada.
But now the storm seems to be passing. Your
The End 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- 0 @
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.

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 59
You, Sashami, and Nada approach the palan-
The samurai hangs his head. "Many samurai
quin timidly. The curtain parts, and the daimyo
are proud to die in noble failure, but not I. How-
looks you over before asking Sashami his name.
ever, since you are both willing to stay and fight, I
After Sashami tells him, the daimyo says, will join you."
"Aren't you the samurai who agreed to defeni a
"Good," Nada says briskly. "Now show us
village back there from the Yakuzi?"
where the best spot is to lay an ambush. "
You wonder how the daimyo found out about it.
Sashami answers him with a weak yes and ex-
The samurai, who introduces himself as
Sashami, takes you to a place where the road
plains, "lt was an impossible situatioh. "
drops into a narrow little gorge thick with trees.
"Nevertheless, the code of the samurai requires
"This looks perfect," you say to Nada, and she
you to honor you word. It is better to die in noble
agrees. You get out your gear and set up the am-
failure than to surrender, " the daimyo says.
bush.
Sashami does not respond, so the daimyo goes
Moments after you've taken your positions, you
on. "l willallow you to die honorably by commit-
hear the thunder of hooves on the road. The
ting seppuku. " Your eyes widen. You know that
Yakuzi come galloping through the gorge, two
seppuku is ritualsuicide. "As for your attendants,',
Ihe daimyo says, gesturing at you and Nada, ,,1will
abreast. a

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.

The End

Turn to page 67
 \\\\),'1,'NlN
\\\\lllr I lii
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
. You grab the viola case and toss it to the lava
first two. As the second two are getting up, Nada globs on the shore. It quickly disappears into the
flies from the tree opposite you, landing with a molten mass.
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 it originated, I have a feeling our troubles are
off his horse. over. "
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 The End
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.

L
 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 67
"We'll help you defend the village, " Nada says.
Three days later you're ready for your-trip into
"Don't be ridiculous. " the man replies. "You're
the past. Nida expiains that the energy from the
not samurai. Even if you were, we still wouldn't
.*oid and the komiwill direct you to the time and
place th emPlY doio have a chance""
"We have our own means," Nada says.
and me he has You
The samurai shakes his head. "You can escape
count d es You with
with me if you like. I'll try to protect you. But only a
saiminiutsu. "Ten, nine, eight, seven . '.' " The last
you remember is Nada twisting her fingers fool would stay and face the Yakuzi. "
thing-way
Tatsumo did while putting you in the Nada, however, doesn't move. It's up to you to
the
say something.
trance.

where. "
"Why?" you ask.
"Beiause any minute now the Yakuzi band will
come through here on horseback. "

least six are on the waY!"

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

Go on to the next Page. uillage," turn to page 59.
68 69
Tatsumo stops his chanting, places his hands on You follow Nada through the halls of the castle
your knees, and says, "Tell us, honored guest, to find Mr. Hatama. On your way you run into the
who you are. " oldest son of the Miyamotori family. Nada bows
An unnatural male voice, not belonging to any- nervously, inhoduces you, and says to him, "lt is a
one in the room, but which you hazily realize is pleasure to see you again, Kato. "
coming from your lips, says, "l trs1-" But the "The pleasure is mine, " Kato replies coldly. "l
name is blocked from your hearing by a sudden was under the impression you wanted to look
crushing weight on your chest. through our archives, not nose around our castle. "
"What do you want?" you vaguely hear Tat-
sumo ask. At that moment, a wild fury is un-
. "Uh, yes, you are quite right," Nada says. She
has no choice but to tell him about the urn in the
leashed inside you. It lashes out in all directions, its vault.
enormous destructive force struggling to find Kato's face turns hard with anger. "Show me
something to punish. Thousands of voices scream, this urn, " he demands.
some for revenge, some for help. Among them You and Nada take Kato to the dusty vault. He
you can distinguish one tiny voice, your own, but opens the door and turns on a light switch. The
you can't hear what it is saying. You have a press- broken urn is still there-but the corpse is gone.
ing urge to try to escape the fury inside before it "This is an outrage!" Kato cries. "That urn con-
destroys you. 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.

It' you try to break out ot' the trance, The End
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.
 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 73

At breakfast you warm your hands around a "What are you doing?" Nada cries as you pull
bowl of rice porridge while you, Nada, and her out of the way of the sword and roll into the
Sashami wait for the sun to come over the ridge. ditch on the side of the road.
Sashami reminds you of his pledge to help you. Sanchiro sheaths his sword and says, "That's
"Maybe you can help," you say. You show him better. You should respect your superiors. "
the paper with the sword marking on it. "We think Angrily you get to your feet and start after him.
it may belong to a ninja clan. " But when he sees you coming, he simply whirls
Sashami's face drops when he sees the paper. around, puts a cloak over his shoulders, and is
"You know it?" Nada asks. gone.
"l cannot tell you everything," Sashami replies Baffled, you look at Nada. "Cloak of invis-
in a low voice, "for even now it is painfulto recall. I ibility," she explains. "Probably another gift from
will simply say it is the secret crest of the evil Xenglu. Why didn't you follow his inshuctions?"
Miyamotori ninja clan. It is because of the greed "l was afraid it was another trick," you say
and deception of their leadel Sanchiro, that I was sheepishly.
forced to leave my master, my town, and my fam- Nada sighs. "We blew our best chance. We may
ilv." never catch up with Sanchiro now. "
"We too have be'en threatened by them," Nada
says. The End
"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. "

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
\!-
ss.,/ -
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 S,S
with a toe-strike, knocking you backward. You re- N
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- <2 tb
/> /:2
ting her deliver it, or counteracting it with one final Z^'nb
sword move.
b ,2
lf you lie still, turn to page 57.

lf you use the sword mot)e, turn to page 37.

76 77

Quickly you gather your gear and light out Bef.oreyou reach the casfle, you hear a yellfrom
down the mountain. In no time at allyou and Nada the woods. Cautiously the three of you dismount
are back in the valley, hurrying down the road to and investigate.
confront the ninja. You come upon a clearing in which two ninja are
"l've been thinking, " Nada says. "Yukio told us faced off against each other. Each has a sword.
the ideogram from the sword hilt resembled the They kneel and bow, then slowly approach one
Miyamotori family crest. The Miyamotori are a another.
ninja clan who at one time had a terrible rivalry "That's Sanchiro Miyamotori!" Sashami whis-
with my family. Maybe that's who these ninja are. " pers.
You start to say it sounds likely, when suddenly, "And he's got the sword-the one that's at the
rounding a cornet you find yourself face to face dojo now!" you add.
with the five ninja. The leader smiles briefly, then You grab Sashami's sword from him, ready to
the look of deadness you saw before comes into rush out and help the other ninja. But then you
his eyes. He draws the sword. wonder if it's a good idea. Maybe you should let
"Wait!" Nada holds up her hand. "Answer one the two ninja fight it out themselves.
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 lf you go ahead into the cleanng,
past. " turn to Page 172.

The End It' you stay back, turn to page 107.

78 79

"Let's try to find out where the sword came "Not really," Nada replies, "but these rivalries
from, " you say. die very slowly. We' d better hack down the person
"l'll bring it in," Nada says. "We can take a who sent us the sword and find out where they got
closer look at it. " lt. '

The sword is wrapped in silk. Nada places it on "That may be difficult, " the sensei says. "There
the table, unrolls the silk, and pulls the sword out was littie information enclosed with the sword.
of its scabbard. Its blade is sharper than anything What about doing some research into the history
you've ever seen. But it's the markings on the hilt of the Miyamotori family? You may find something
that draw your attention. that tells you about the ideogram on the hilt. "
"This is an odd symbol," the sensei says. "l "But that would mean asking the Miyamotori
don't know what it stands for. Some kind of secret family to let us look at their archives, " Nada says.
sect, perhaps. " "Luckily I have a good friend who is a sensei at
"lt almost looks like a family crest," you say" their ryu. We could call him to help arrange your
"Yes, " the sensei says. "ln fact, it reminds me a visit, " the sensei says.
little of the Miyamotori family crest. " Nada turns to you and asks, "What do you
"The Miyamotori!" Nada exclaims. "They were think?"
once the sworn enemies of my family. "
"Are they still?" you ask.

lf you say, "Let's do some research,"

turn to page 87.

It' you say, "Let's try to t'ind the person who

Go on to the next page. sent the su)ord," turn to Page 101.
 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 "We've got to get rid of the sword, " you say io
be so jumpy. A second later flames burst all around Nada. "lt's obviously the source of our houble. "
you. Every way you turn, you see fire. Nada pulls "We can't do that, " Nada objects. "How can we
you out of the road, but already a net has landed track down who sent it?"
over your head. You're happed. Five figures clad "We'llcopy the markings on the hilt. That's all
in black ninja clothes emerge from the woods and we need."
move in on you. "l don't know. . . ." Nada says.
You have no idea why, but you are about to be The stewardess decides for you. She grabs the
the target of a ninja assassination. sword and tosses it overboard. Nada reaches for it
as it sails over the railing, but she can't catch it. The
The End 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
N
space-food sticks, and wish you luck.
,|fl. I
N
Once you've left the ship, its engines apparenfly
recover and it steams away at rapid speed. You wl
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.
86 87
"Luckily I have seen enough of thistype of thing The next day you and Nada take the train to the
that I may be able to keep my reputation as a wise remote village below the Miyamotori estate. A taxi
man intact," Gyoja says with a little smile. "l be- leaves you at the estate, a forbidding castle set
lieve you are dealing with an angry komi. Almost back in a dark valley.
certainly it is the kami of the ninja who ambushed After a long climb up stone steps and through
you. I suspect the arrival of his sword at your dojo several gates, you ring the bell. The rqo-house
aroused the anger of the kami.l can't say why he mistress-answers. Acknowledging that Mr.
was angry in the first place, but what is important is Hatama arranged for your visit, she leads you to
to placate it. " the cramped archive room in a remote part of the
"But it's attacking us," you object. castle.
"Most attacks are best fended off with under- After the rojoleaves, Nada remembers that she
standing," Gyoja replies. "Violence breeds more promised the sensei she'd give his regards to Mr.
"
violence. Hatama. "l'llbe back in a few minutes," she tells
"How can we make peace with the kami?" you.
Nada asks. You start searching through the thick, tattered
"Build a shrine to it," Gyoja says. "Use the parchments while Nada is gone. Only a minute
sword in the shrine. Have a summer festivalfor it. later you hear a loud rattling noise. It seems to be
If you do this with sincerity, the anger of the komi coming from down the hall. At fiist you ignore it,
will be absorbed by the greater kami." but it becomes so loud and insistent you can't
You and Nada bow deeply and thank Gyoja for concentrate on the papers.
sharing his advice. Then you head down to the Cautiously you walk down the hall to a heavy,
monastery to spend the night. In the morning you squat door. You check to see that no one is watch-
will return to the present and try out Gyoja's sug- ing, and try the door. It opens.
gestion.

The End

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
 91
"Just a quick look," Nada says. She pauses while you absorb this revelation.
You take Nada down the hall, pause atthe door, Ninja were supposed to have amazing powers, not
then step inside. The door swings closed behind only in the martial arts, but in techniques of invisi-
you. It is pitch dark in the room, and the air is ble movement and even sorcery.
heavy. "So we may be dealing with a ninja?" you say.
"l can feel it in here-the presence of the komi!" "Possibly, " Nada says. "lt's still hard to tell what
Nada whispers. this is all about. "
You light a match. The broken shards of the urn "Maybe we should go back to the archives,"
are still on the floor, but the corpse is gone! you suggest. "We may find something in our re-
You hear a scraping sound at the other end of search that will help us figure this out before we fall
the vault. You and Nada creep toward it, the match into some kind of hap."
illuminating a tiny space in front of you. Finally, "Yes, " Nada replies, "except that if we're on its
you reach the back wall. You can see nothing else, trail, I'd hate to lose it. "
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. "

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

Go on to the next page. secret passage, turn to page 22.
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 f
San Francisco. But you are not in the air long i
before a passenger walking past your seat hips and
I
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. "

z
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.

Turn to page 97.

94 95
You toss the firecrackers in front of the last two You move slowly into the middle of the circle,
Yakuzi. They go off in sequence, sending staccato
.hoping your improvised dance doesn't look too
reports through the gorge. to the yomobushi. But then you get an idea.
The effect is better than you hoped for. The -fynny
horses rear and turn, and the other Yakuzi panic at
Io.y utlout your dilemma for them. Hllf-singing,
half-.talkng as you dance, you tell of your s"i.clh
the sound. "We're surrounded!" one cries. They for the ninja, the meeting with the Mikiaka sisters,
turn and flee, following the two on horseback. and Nada's abduction by the tengu. As the song
Nada and Sashami allow them to escape, making comes to an end, you pose the question, ,,Can
sure their horses stay behind. anyone tell me how to rescue my friend?,,
You climb out of the tree. and Nada congratu-
.The yomobushi clap and cheer appreciatively
Iates you on the firecracker tactic. "lt was a brilliant after your performance. Anxiously you look for
application of the technique of illusion, " she says. the one who invited you in. "What ibbut my ques-
"When hopelessly outnumbered, create the illu- tion?" you cry when you find him.
sion of having greater numbers. " "Few can outwit the tengu," he answers simply.
Sashami bows to both of you. "Had I known I "You'lljust have to hope he takes pity on you.-,,
haci such skilled ninja as allies, I would not have He pulls you back into the circle, andreluciantly
hesitated to confront the Yakuzi. " you join the merriment while you hy to figure out
"Do you think they'll come back?" you ask. what to do. But somehow as you dance you forget
"Oh no," Sashami assures you. "They won't yourtroubles. You are given severalgifts, including
return after the treatment we gave them" " a string of pearls and a dragon's head hat. you
Sashami goes on to explain he is a ysnin-a don't remernber falling asleep.
kind of freelance samurai who has no master and You awake alone in the clearing beside the
havels about looking for what work he can find. smoldering ashes of the fire. Everything is gone.
"With your help, I've fulfilled my obligation to the The
-pearls are drops of water and thJ dragon's
village. Now Iwillfulfillmy obligation to you. Iam head a mere trinket.
at your service." You get to your feet shakily. Suddenly a strong
"We're alltired from the fight. Let's make camp wind comes up. It swirls into a whirlwind that liftl
and discuss this in the morning, " Nada says. 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 72. Turn to page 26

96 97
"What's our strategy when we get to the top of A few hours later a freighter arrives to pick you
the ladder?" you ask Nada. up. Once on board, some passengers laugh and
"lt will require you to go to the limit of your some cry in relief. But after a few minutes a high
defensive skill," Nada says. "You climb the ladder piercing note comes from inside the viola case.
first. I'll be a few feet behind you. You must be The capta announces, "l hate to
ready for anything at the top. If you can hold it off say this fo es are malfunctioning.
{or just a few seconds, that will give me my chance Stand by he trouble. "
to grab it. Be prepared-it will probably be ex- Everyone glares at you. The stewardess whc
hemely vicious. " spill says, "Look here, I
You nod, take a moment to prepare yourself, don that viola case, but
and begin climbing the ladder. You reach the top I've his. Eitheritgoesor
and carefully you feei what is above you. you
"lt's a trap door," you whisper to Nada. "No!" Nada cries. "We can't give up this case.
"Okay, " she whispers back. "Open it . . now!" We have to find out what's going on!;'
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 If you think you should try to conuince Nada to
know. But he managed to escape our counter- throw the sword ouerboard, turn to poge 85.
trap. Now we need a new strategy. "
If you agree that you must hold on to it,
Turn to page 704. 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.
100 101
"Let's look for another way around, " you say' "l You and Nada find the letter that came with the
don't like the idea of walking into a trap, even if we sword. There is no return address and no sig-
are p r it." nature.
"lt foolish to climb the ladder if you "l don't know how we can track down the
"
have doubts, Nada agrees. sender," Nada says.
You and Nacia go back to the intersection of "Can we find the box it came in?"
passageways and take a right. The passage twists After you rnanage to dig up the box the sword
and curves, seeming to go nowhere. came in, you check the wrapping paper fcr a
"l've lost irack of where we are," you say. postmark.
"it u;as built to do that," Nada repiies. "We must San Franciscol" you exciaim.
be carefulwhen we finally find a way out of it" The "Then I guess that's where we're going," Nada
nlnja, or whatever ii is" may ktrow exactiy where says. "\,Ve can catch a plane fnom Kyoto irr the
\,ve are going to emerge." 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
side, and ive'll see if anyihing is rvaifing for tls"" :he sword.
Y'ou cross to the wall on the other side- Nada "What are we going to do?" Nada whispers as
swings the door open quickly, then jumps away ,ou wait in line. "They'll never let us take the
fron, it. L-ight pours in through the opening. sword on the plane. "
You wait for five, ten, fifteen minutes. Nothing ''lt's too late to go back, "
vou say in a low voice.
happens. Y'ou don't hear a sound. Carefully you lVe can say it's an heirloom. "
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. :-ing to get on this flight,"she murmurs.
''.Maybe this is just
a very weird sword," you
lf you think yau should tell Noda it's time to =ply.
talk to Mr. Hatama about the bizarre euents,
turn to page 715. Turn to page 92.
102 103
"Let's go back to the archives," you say. "l've You pull a shunken from your/uroshikiand let it
got a hunch we may furn up something there. " fly at the tengu.lt hits his wing. causing him to howl
You go back through the vault and return to in surprise. He glares at you with flashing eyes, and
your research. Finally your tired eye catches it- shrieks, "How dare you!"
the ideogram on the sword. The tengu iets go of Nada and rises into the air,
"Here it is!" you say to Nada. You discover the his injured wing flapping weakly" Your rush on to
ideogram was the secret crest of a ninja ryu the bridge to help Nada. The tengw laughs. Sud-
founded four hundred years ago by Sanchiro denly the bridge bursts into flame. It is quickly
Miyamotori. According to legend, Sanchiro was consumed in the fire, and you and Nada plunge
taught the art of ninjutsu, as well as sorcery, by a into the ravine.
tengu-a mythical long-nosed, winged creature
supposed to live in trees in the mountains. The The End
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
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. jl|ilil
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 liiillil
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 'tllii,,
think about it. I just got out of the way."
"That's sokki, " Nada says. llilii lilltil
"What about the corpse?" you wonder. "How
could it attack me?"
"l think the kami must have possessed the body illlii\l[
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
106 rc7
You by to explain to the lava creatures that you
Nada grabs you at the same moment that you
must keep the sword to find out what force is at-
decide to stay back. "We can't meddle, " she says.
tacking Nada's dojo. Meanwhile, Nada begins to "The other nlnja will cio better without us."
row away from the shore. "l just realizei that." you reply.
"Come back!" the voices cry. "You must give us
The battle beh,rreen the hvo ninja begins. You
the sword. It will only cause more disruption!"
can baiely foilow the quick succession of sword
The voices fade as you pull away from the is-
moves, parries, and jumps before the otlrer ninja
land. You catch a current that takes you out to the
cuts down Sanchiro.
open sea again. But you don't feel as if you're
Sashami leaps out to congratulate the ninja. but
drifting. Something seems to be puiling you, and it
when the ninja sees him, he runs into the wooCs.
is getting stronger. The boat moves faster and
You and Nada creep into the clearing.
faster toward the source of the current. "l-istenl" you say. "Sanchiro's sayir',g some-
Finally you catch a glimpse of what is drawing
thing. "
you-a huge whirlpoolin the sea! You hy to row You hear Sanchiro's dying words: a curse of re-
away from it, but you are firmly in its grip. You feel
venge on the Kurayama family--Nada's familyl
as if you're going over a waterfallas you're sucked
"The other ninja must have been my ancestor, "
over the edge of the gigantic whirlpool. Into the
Nada says. ''We've witnessed the origin of the
maelshom you rush, spinning down, down, down.
korni's vow of revenge. When our dojo got the
You cover your head in a fruitless gesture as the
sword, it must have set the vow into acflon. "
great weight of the water closes over you.
"Can we counteract it?" you ask.
When you open your eyes you and Nada are
"We can try," Nada says. She goes through a
amazed to find yourselves in an underwater palace
series of finger signs similar to the ones ycu saw
festooned with seaweed. Three white-scaled
when she brought you irrio the past with her"
dragon-women are pulling your boat through the
When she is finished, she turns to you and says.
grand phosphorescent corridors of the palace. "Even if my kuji doesn't work, now that we know
You are led to a throne, ',vhere a woman wear-
the oriqin of the curse, I ihink we'li be able to offset
ing a crown with a serpent on it is sitting on a
it with the sensei's help. "
cushion playing the biwa, a stringed inshument.
Meanwhiie. Sashami returns and says sheep-
The woman looks up and greets you, saying, "You
ishly, "l guess I scared away the ninja."
are probably wondering where you are. Do not be "No mattet" you say. "Wiihout your help, we
afraid. I am the Sea Queen, and this is my palace. "
never could have solved our problem."
"Did you bring us down here?" you ask.
You say gocd-bye to Sashami and prepare tc
"Yes," the Sea Queen replies. "l have some-
return to the dojo.
thing important to ask of you."
Turn to page 89. The End
108 109
Leaving the sword for later, you spring for the Deciding it's better to stay away from the
ninja, who appears to be having trouble getting up. haunted well, you return to have breakfast with
But suddenly he turns and flings something in Nada. After you eat, you set off up the mountain to
your face that causes your eyes to burn. At the find Gyoja.
same time, you hear Nada attack the other two. You search all day, but can find no sign of the
The ninja disappears, but a few seconds later you yamabushi. You are about to give up when you
are thrown on your back from behind, and the catch sight of a small shrine hidden in the trees.
sword is put to your abdomen. There you find a tiny, withered oid man with long
"Stopl" the ninja cries to Nada. "l've got your hair and a conch trumpet at his side. He looks
frienci!" startled when you approach him.
You and Nada are tied up and taken back to the "Even here you find me!" he exclaims. "l've
ninja's castle. Because your adversary knows ali been avoiding you all day, trying to do my work.
the methods of escape, there is no chance for you Whatever you want, it must be important. "
and Nada to get away. After a few days in the "lt is," Nada says, bowing. She relates the de-
dungeon, you are brought before the ninja in his tails of the situation atthe dojo, as wellas the attack
chamber. You are made to kneel ai the foot of the by the ninja and his sword.
platform on which he sits. "Yukio thought you might be able to help us, "
"To be frank. " he says, "you surprised us. We Nada concludes.
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
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 113
"No!" Nada whispers sharply as you rush for- You grab the sword and slip back out the win-
ward with Sashami's sword. She hies to grab you, dow. You climb over the castle wall and return
but misses. This distracts the other ninja, and in a undetected to Nikkya's house.
flash Sanchiro strikes. The ninja falls. You knock on the door. Nikkya answers and
Then Sanchiro turns to face you. You come at motions for you to keep quiet. "l think Nada will
him-and with your first strike, your sword breaks pull through, " she whispers, "but she must sleep.
in two on his. You realize you've made a terrible You can talk to her in the morning. "
mistake. Sanchiro's sword has some kind of mag- Although you're impatient to show Nada the
ical power, and there is nc way you'll be able to sword, you realize the old woman is right. Ex-
defend yourself against it. hausted yourself, you soon fall asleep.
In the morning you find Nada weak but other-
The End 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 u5
"No thanks," you say to theyamabushi. "l have "This is getting very strange, " you say to Nada.
to rescue my friend. " "l think we'd better tell Mr. Hatama about it. "
Quickly you slip back into the woods and head "l suppose you're right," Nada replies. "lf the
for the road. But you can't seem to find it. You Miyamotori family catches us here with this corpse,
keep searching in the dark, until youreallze you're we'll be in a lot of trouble."
going in circles. Exhausted and bleeding from You and Nada begin to walk out of the court-
fighting through the thicket, you finally collapse in yard to look for Mr. Hatama. A slight sound makes
sleep. you look behind you. You turn just in time to see
You wake up the next morning and decide to the corpse, wearing a horrible demon rnask, bring-
forget about the road and to hike straight up the ing a sword down at your neck.
mountain. All morning you bushwack through the
dense wood. Finally you come to a clearing on top The End
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
 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.